Morocco await as Christie calls for Scotland to ride the wave

Morocco test looms Friday, and Scotland know what's coming

Scotland face Morocco on Friday evening in the second Group C match, and the stakes are clear. A win puts your team on the brink of the knockout rounds after that nervy 1–0 over Haiti in Boston. Morocco drew 1–1 with Brazil in their opener, Ismael Saibari scored the equaliser, and they will not be pushovers (1).

Steve Clarke has the squad drilled on what to expect. Morocco carry real threat through Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz, and the Scotland backline will need to be sharper than it was against Haiti, where they rode their luck at times (1).

Christie: we have to ride the wave

Ryan Christie is not playing this down. "You have to quickly adjust your targets and adjust your mindset," he said ahead of the Morocco match. "From being happy to be here, you want to go and create more and keep pushing the bar" (4).

Christie pointed to the Haiti result as a platform. "We're trying not to get too ahead of ourselves, but at the same time, you've got to draw confidence from that and ride the wave a little bit" (4). The message from Clarke, he added, has been relentless: "The manager has kept the foot to the floor" (4).

Scotland Women get Czech Republic in World Cup playoff draw

Scotland Women will face the Czech Republic in the first round of the World Cup play-offs, with the path to the 2027 tournament now set (2) (6). A single-leg tie, the winner keeps the dream alive.

Caroline Weir joins Lyon

Scotland captain Caroline Weir has left Real Madrid after four years and signed for OL Lyonnes, a move she framed around ambition: "I would love to be competing for the Champions League" (7). Lyon are among the heavyweights of the women's game, and Weir steps straight into a squad built to win on multiple fronts.

The goggles, explained

John McGinn's trademark goggles celebration has a backstory. It started as a nod to his nephew, who wore goggles as a child, and has since become a signature, one the Tartan Army have made their own (3). If McGinn scores against Morocco, expect thousands of fans in the stands to mirror it.

Corsie puts the men's squad to the word-association test

Former Scotland Women's captain Rachel Corsie ran a word-association game with members of the men's World Cup squad in a light-hearted feature from the Scotland camp (5). A rare moment of downtime before Friday's serious business.