Morocco look an excellent price to win this game based on their recent form. They are, after all, a side that have lost only two full senior international matches in 90 minutes since the 2022 World Cup.

They might have drawn each of their last two games, but in reaching the AFCON final, they showed they are a tournament-hardened side. Moreover, there is a huge motivation for them to win in this game: anything short of three points will leave their tournament on the line against Haiti.

Scotland might have won their last three, but those wins came against weak opponents. Prior to that, they had lost three out of four, including a 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast in friendly action in a kinder climate.

Cards are no rarity when Scotland play, with 83% of their qualifying matches bringing 3+ cards. That trend continued against Haiti, when four cards were shown in a game riddled with niggling fouls.

Scotland are a side that tends to have a high foul count but also win a good deal of free kicks themselves. While their qualifiers averaged 27.2 fouls, never dipping below 22, their opening finals game hit a staggering 43.

Morocco, meanwhile, will impose themselves with a strong press and intense style that forces players into quick decisions, illustrated by Brazil picking up two yellow cards against them. Scotland will similarly suffer but can impose their own physicality on the game to test Morocco's discipline.

Referee Ilgiz Tantashev averages 3.95 cards per game this season.

Scotland will look to break this game up at every opportunity they get, with tactical fouls the order of the day against a high-paced Morocco side in a climate that the Europeans are simply not used to playing in.

During the qualifying campaign, Scotland averaged 12.67 fouls committed but hit 15 on each occasion they faced Denmark, the team that finished 2nd in their section.

Morocco, meanwhile, won 16 free kicks against a Brazil side that is considerably more fancied than the Scots. Although they only averaged 9.5 fouls won per match in qualifying, this game is likely to be made far more physical.

One of the most eye-catching aspects of Scotland’s performance against Haiti was the display of Ben Gannon-Doak down their right flank.

He is set to be central to their attacking efforts against Morocco, too, with his directness important for relieving pressure on the defence and creating chances in open play or from set pieces. The Bournemouth man should, therefore, see a good deal of the ball. He goes up against Noussair Mazraoui, who is 1.2 to commit a foul.

The Manchester United man has given up 1+ fouls in six of his last eight internationals. With Mazraoui liable to get an attacking role in this game, he will find himself in some uncomfortable positions.

Only Achraf Hakimi had more foul involvements than the Roma midfielder against Brazil, who was fouled three times and committed four fouls of his own.

This continues a lengthy trend for the 24-year-old central midfielder. He is currently on a four-match competitive run in which he has committed 2+ fouls for his national team. Scotland’s midfield, meanwhile, has been highly adept at winning free kicks.

The trio of John McGinn, McTominay and Lewis Ferguson won 34 between them in qualifying at a rate of 5.87 per 90. Ferguson alone drew six fouls against Haiti and is likely to be El Aynaoui’s direct opponent in this one.

Scotland’s attack may not be considered a strong point, but when it comes to competitive matches, they have been capable of finding the net in recent times.

They have scored in their last six competitive games, while they have also netted nine times in their last three. Although they did not play well against Haiti, a small number of high-quality opportunities were created.

Even in the Nations League against Poland, Portugal, and Croatia, they were able to score in five of their six fixtures, showing they are more than capable offensively against even strong opponents.

Morocco, meanwhile, have been prolific, scoring in 29 of their last 31 recognised internationals.

This is the type of game in which Scotland will particularly look to Scott McTominay for inspiration. He has been their big-game player in recent months, notably scoring the opening goal against Denmark in their decisive World Cup qualifier.

Other important contributions include a Euro 2024 goal against Switzerland and a strike against Spain. The Haiti game broke a run of six successive internationals in which he had a shot on target. However, Paddy Power would have paid this out as he hit the woodwork, but a return to the 4-2-3-1 system that Scotland generally play should suit his box-crashing nature more.

He also poses a threat from set pieces, should Scotland want to play consistent aerial balls in.

El Aynaoui is a high price for a player with a strong recent shooting record for his international side. For instance, he managed three shots against Brazil in the opening game, and while he failed to hit the target, this high volume of efforts maximises his chances of doing so in the future.

With 66.7% shooting accuracy in Serie A this season and 49.3% in league play over the course of his career, the chances are he will test the goalkeeper if he is given another three efforts. El Aynaoui should also be high in confidence for the national team after scoring goals against both Ecuador and Paraguay in March friendly matches.

If Scotland are sitting deep and frustrating Morocco, he is the type of player who will try his luck.

Against a Scotland team that is liable to sit deep, Hakimi will have a licence to get forward, which is something he is not shy about at the best of times.

Against Brazil, he had a joint-team-high three shots, which underlines the attacking threat that he brings to a game. It was the 3rd time in his last four competitive fixtures for club and country that he had managed exactly three shots.

With Scotland’s threat on the counter liable to come down the opposite flank via Ben Gannon-Doak, the PSG right-back should get forward regularly and will have a big impact offensively for his country.