Clarke warns Scotland: ‘We must be at our best – Morocco are the real deal’

Steve Clarke has warned Scotland the Morocco team they will face on Friday are superior to the one who reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2022. Scotland kicked off their tournament with a 1-0 win over Haiti , which came hours after Morocco impressed during a 1-1 draw with Brazil. Clarke answered with a firm “absolutely” when asked whether Morocco will pose as stern a threat as Brazil to his side in Group C. “We are under no illusion about the size of the task,” said Clarke. “I feel Morocco are a really, really good side. They reached the last four of the last World Cup and I have a feeling this Morocco team is slightly better than that, so that gives you an idea of the task ahead. They have power, they have pace, they have little bits of skill that can open up a game. For me they are the real deal, a top side. We will have to be at our very best to compete. “It is a big challenge for us. We give them a lot of respect. We expect they will probably have more of the ball, more possession. We have to make sure that when we have the ball we can be a threat to Morocco.” Clarke deployed a back three for the friendly against Côte d’Ivoire in March, which may serve as a clue to his plan or Morocco. It is a near certainty that Scotland will not lineup in the 4-4-2 formation used against Haiti. “Every system that we have ever played, we have put a lot of work into,” Clarke said. “I have shown over my time as head coach that we can play different systems. …