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Steve Clarke has a “doubt” ahead of Scotland’s game with Brazil on Wednesday, according to Craig Levin.
1-0 loss to Morocco In their second match on Friday night, thanks to Ismail Saibari’s strike after 70 seconds, Clarke’s side are third in Group C with three points, but qualification is still in their own hands.
A win against Brazil in Miami on Wednesday would guarantee Scotland a place in the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time.
However, a win or even a draw may not be necessary, with Scotland currently sitting second in the standings with teams occupying third place in their group. The top eight third-placed teams will advance to the knockout stage.
Scotland face Brazil in their final Group C match after losing to Morocco
That means goal difference could be crucial and Levein, who managed Scotland from 2009-2012, thinks Clarke will lean towards playing in a defensive fashion knowing that a narrow defeat could still be enough to make up for it, while a heavy defeat would probably doom their hopes.
“There is a situation where we could have qualified even if we lost this match 1-0,” Levine said. Sky Sports News. “It’s a bit of a dilemma for Steve actually, whether he’ll play with his defensive cap on, I think he probably will, and hopefully it’s good enough. If we lose 1-0 I think we’ll qualify.
“The key message after the Morocco game will definitely be don’t concede a goal in the first 70 seconds – they did exceptionally well to come back from there because that could have been a moment where they folded and that could have been the worst case scenario.
Clarke’s team is Brazil on Wednesday
“I thought Morocco would be a tougher match than Brazil, it’s not one of Brazil’s best teams. They have some very good players in their team but they’re not unbeatable. If we can put in a really good, cohesive performance and fight to the end then we have a chance to play in the next round.
“The first game (against Haiti) was a very nervous occasion and the match against Morocco was a big step. It was a very good performance and that will help. If we do the same thing again and make another step forward, we can cause Brazil problems.”
Will Clark make a difference?
Clarke made three changes to his starting line-up ahead of the Morocco match and could bring fresh legs to what promises to be another exciting atmosphere for his players at the Miami Stadium.
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Chris Boyd looks ahead to Scotland’s crucial game against Brazil after losing to Morocco at the World Cup
Levene is optimistic that the Scotland boss has a full complement of players to choose from and feels that the changes made during the game against Morocco showed that Clarke can make an impact on his bench.
“I will look at the players that have played in the two games so far and decide if they can go again and it will be determined by how they do on the training ground,” Levine said.
“Steve is not letting anything slide but maybe there are players who are feeling something after playing two matches and it might be that he has to rest someone. But, at this stage, he hasn’t let anything out of camp so there doesn’t seem to be a problem, so he gets to pick from all his squads.
Should Scotland have given a penalty against Morocco?
“The boys fought to the end against Morocco, Steve made some changes in the second half which improved us in an attacking sense and it was a much better performance than the first match.
“There’s more to come from Scott McTomin, more to come from the rest of the boys. It will take an almighty push to get past Brazil and then we can all celebrate for three or four weeks!”
