Scotland seek for knockout spot, prepare for Brazil test

With knockout tickets within the grasp of Brazil, Scotland will be eager to get a result against the Samba boys when they face off at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Wednesday in Match Day Three of Group C of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

This will also see Morocco play already-eliminated Haiti.

The Selecao already top the group with four points after a draw and a 3-0 win against Morocco and Haiti on match days one and two, respectively.

Morocco also have the same points, having secured a 1-0 win against Scotland, putting them on the brink of qualification for the Round of 32 of the tournament.

Scotland, on their part, occupied the third spot with three points after a match-day one win over Haiti.

This, a draw or a respectable loss, will be enough for Scotland to qualify for the knockout stage as one of the best losers.

Although the winner of this match will secure a spot in the round of 32, the losing team will have to depend on results in other games to qualify as one of the eight best third-placed teams.

 Steve Clarke’s men showed defensive resolve against the African side, which should serve them well against the Selecao.

Brazil will surely be another tough test for them, as this is their best chance to progress to the next stage in World Cup history.

After an underwhelming performance against Morocco,  the Selecao rolled back the years in the 3-0 win over Haiti, with Vinicius Junior running the show and Endrick and Rayan Vitor producing promising performances.

In their past four meetings at the World Cup,  the Selecao won three games and clinched a 2-1 victory in the most recent clash, in the 1998 edition. 

Although not a must-win game for the Scots, they must be able to get a reasonable result against the five-time winners that has never suffered defeat against them.

It’s now left for Clark to figure out how his defence will deal with the attacking trio of Vinicius Jr, Matheus Cunha, and Rayan Vitor, who replaced injured Raphinha.