Scotland vs Morocco Betting Tips and Stats

I simply can’t look past Morocco here. A Semi Final appearance four years ago, an eventual AFCON trophy this year, and quite frankly they look to be going from strength to strength.

This is a side that went toe-to-toe with Brazil just last week, and I thought they were fantastic value for the point. Morocco looked calm on the ball, they were unphased by the occasion, and it’s a squad brimming with incredibly technically gifted players; that will stand them in good stead against anyone. AFCON final aside, Morocco are unbeaten in 18 games when focusing on the senior squad in friendlies, qualifiers, and major tournaments, and they’ve won 14 of those.

They come into this game as clear favourites, and although Scotland won their World Cup opener against Haiti, I can see why. That was about as nervy a finish to a game as you can get; Scotland ended up backs against the wall against a team ranked 85th in the World. Prior to the World Cup, wins against Bolivia and Curacao may have offered encouragement, but losses in March to both Japan and the Ivory Coast suggests that they’re perhaps a level below these sorts of nations. Morocco are arguably a level above again, and in my opinion are too strong.

I fully expect Morocco to be on top here, but as we’ve seen throughout the World Cup so far, the underdogs have had their moments, and I don’t think that’ll be any different here. Scotland might find clear cut chances hard to come by, but they will have shots, particularly on the break and from distance.

With that in mind, Scott McTominay stands out as Scotland’s best option for a shot on target here. He topped the charts for Steve Clarke’s squad in qualifying, averaging 1.00 shots on target P/90 and hitting the target in five of six. His form extended beyond qualifying, with shots on target against each of Japan, Ivory Coast, and even a goal against Bolivia.

He may have failed to hit the target against Haiti, but he did hit the post, and game state may actually suit McTominay from distance here with clear chances at a premium; after all, he hit the target from outside the area in three straight Scotland outings prior to Haiti.

Now Morocco are pretty steady at the back, but Brazil did have five shots on target against them last week. Yes, it’s Brazil, but the evidence is there to suggest that Scotland can at least find some space to test Bono in goal.

I was hugely impressed by what I saw from Morocco against Brazil, and absolutely enjoyed the performance from the midfield in particular. Neil El Aynaoui is a player I had my eye on prior to the tournament, and after the shift he put in against Brazil, I’m excited for what’s to come.

The work both on and on the ball from the Roma man is outstanding. His game naturally lends itself to both fouls and fouls drawn aplenty, and we saw that against Brazil, with three fouls drawn, and four committed. He’s a tireless runner off the ball, drives well with it, and that should bode well against the Scotland midfield that may lack the athleticism to match him.

El Aynaoui’s numbers in recent competitive games for his nation are nothing short of outstanding. He had a total of eight foul involvements in the AFCON Semi Final, and a further nine fouls and fouls drawn combined in the final. He’s comfortable on the big stage, and that bodes well.

Keep an eye on the likes of McGinn and Ferguson in particular here. The former drew five fouls against Haiti, whilst the latter drew six and committed one. They’ll be occupying similar areas of the pitch to El Aynaoui.