Morocco prepare for 'tough, physical' contest vs Scotland in FIFA World Cup

The North Africans opened their campaign with an encouraging 1-1 draw against Brazil, but Ouahbi believes his side must improve if they are to secure a vital victory against a Scotland team that arrives with three points after beating Haiti 1-0.

Speaking ahead of the match, Ouahbi explained that Scotland will present a completely different challenge to the one Morocco faced against Brazil.

"The Brazil match was tactical, tomorrow's clash will be physical," said Ouahbi. "The match against Scotland will be different because they are quick with the ball.

"We have prepared the players to be ready. We do not want to keep the same performance we had against Brazil. We want to improve."

The Moroccan coach warned against underestimating any team at the World Cup and insisted his players remain fully focused on the task ahead.

"Every match is difficult in its own way. Internationally, there are no small teams, and our match against Brazil is not an end in itself," he said.

With Morocco sitting on one point and Scotland on three, Ouahbi acknowledged the importance of the upcoming encounter.

"We have one point and they have three. They are ahead of us and we have to do our best. It will be a hard match."

Despite the challenge, Ouahbi remains confident in his squad. He said Morocco will stay true to their style while looking to control the tempo of the game.

"We have different options, and we will keep our identity and our way of playing. We want to control the rhythm of the match," he said.

"We can change the formation and positions, but the most important thing is cohesion at the right time. I am confident we can produce a better level and make significant progress."

The fixture also brings back memories of Morocco's famous 3-0 victory over Scotland at the 1998 World Cup in France. On that occasion, Salaheddine Bassir scored twice and Abdeljalil Hadda added another goal, although Morocco still missed out on a place in the knockout stages.

However, Ouahbi has played down comparisons with that result, insisting his squad is focused only on the present challenge.

"Some people want us to win 3-0 like in 1998, but I will not talk about that. The players are focused on the match. That happened in a beautiful time," he said.

The coach also expressed confidence in Morocco's defence and confirmed that all players are available despite the physical demands of the draw against Brazil.

"We have a very good defence and we are very confident. Everyone is doing his best in this regard, so I do not think we have problems in defence," said Ouahbi.

"All the players were present in the training session, and playing 90 minutes against Brazil was not easy.

"During the previous game, we made changes because we wanted to win against Brazil. We know some players cannot play 90 minutes in every match, but the substitutions made us stronger and improved our performance. I think we will do the same in the next match."

After facing Scotland, Morocco will conclude their Group C campaign against Haiti on June 24 at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia.

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