World Cup 2026: Big players must step up as Scotland pursue history against Brazil

Clark has his own electoral problems. The news isn’t good for Aaron Hickey, so who plays right-back against Vinnie Jr’s speed and blood-curdling technique?

Did Nathan Patterson, Anthony Ralston, or Clarke go rogue and ask Kieran Tierney to do the least enviable job in football? There is meaning in it. Tierney has vast experience. It’s a day for nous.

Who will Clarke play up front – and is there any chance that whoever it is could have more of a crumb to feed him?

Che Adams runs hard, but he’s incredible. Lyndon Dykes is a battering ram, but Gabriel and Marquinhos have seen him before in their storied careers. Lawrence Shankland, Ross Stewart and George Hirst are other contenders.

A curveball for Brazil – there is an argument for keeping Scott McTominay in the role but Steven Naismith, the assistant manager, dismissed it the other day.

McTominay is big and strong, incredibly strong, an accurate fist and a great finisher. He hasn’t been at his best in two games, not even close to his best, but there’s always the threat of life spilling over him.

It must happen now. This will also happen for John McGinn. It’s about to happen for Ben Gannon-Doak, a potential difference-maker in the wide.

He was used on the bench against Morocco, with Clarke hoping to make a bigger impact when the game loosens up and space opens up. Gannon-Dok will start on Wednesday.

Scotland’s strength is their effort, their hard work, their passion, but these things only get you so far. There is some technical capability, but no mass.

What was said before Haiti and Morocco is still relevant – Scotland’s big name players need to step it up. They have to be better, they have to create and be ruthless.

A lot needs to happen for Scotland to get a point or three from this game, but if they do, the joyous fortnight-long scenes in Boston, a city that has adopted the Tartan Army as their own, will feel like a warm-up act.

It’s a racing certainty that the fans in Scotland, in their joy and their bevying, have extra gear in them. The big hope is that Clarke and his players, in their pursuit of history, have more to show for what could be the game of their lives.