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Scotland had to battle hard for their 1-0 win over Haiti last time out and that struggle was reflected in their foul and card numbers. 

Steve Clarke’s side committed 21 fouls and picked up three yellow cards in that opening encounter and I think we’ll see similar aggression levels from them here.

The referee for this game is Ilgiz Tantashev who officiated two games at the Club World Cup last summer and didn’t hold back with his cautions, producing 10 yellow cards across these matches (5.00 per game), with all four sides picking up at least two cards. 

He’s also quite quick to blow his whistle, averaging 29.50 fouls per game across these two matches. He’s quite an inexperienced referee at this level and could easily let this game get away from him when the challenges do start flying in.

Morocco drew 16 fouls from Brazil in their opening game of the World Cup, also drawing two cards from Carlo Ancelotti’s side. The controversial AFCON champions drew 2.63 cards per game from their opponents during qualifying which lines up quite well with the 2.0 cards per game Scotland collected during their qualifying campaign. 

Scotland also committed at least 10 fouls in all six of their qualifying matches, they’re priced at 1.73 to commit at least 15 fouls here - so Scotland are expected to be just as aggressive as they were in their opening match, which should lead to Steve Clarke’s side collecting at least two cautions. 

Hickey averaged 2.50 fouls won per 90 in qualifying and won 4 against Haiti.

Ferguson averaged 1.20 fouls won per 90 in qualifying and won 6 (yes, six) against Haiti.

Hakimi will be up against McGinn mostly (odds to win fouls are terrible, so not included).

El Khannouss averaged 2.56 fouls per 90 at AFCON and committed 2 against Brazil.

Doak averaged 0.81 fouls won per 90 and was fouled once against Haiti.

El Aynaoui committed 1.69 fouls per 90 at AFCON and committed 4 against Brazil.

Mazraoui committed 1.16 fouls per 90 at AFCON and committed 2 against Brazil.

• Got the assist for the goal versus Brazil

• Found the net in 5/7 AFCON matches

• 0.50 Goals or Assists per90 for Real Madrid last season

• Most cards in qualifying (3)

• 3.0 fouls p90 in qualifying

• Will play the role of destroyer tonight

• Won 3+ fouls versus Brazil

• AFCON fouls won stats: 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 4, 6

• Up against Lewis Ferguson (3.0 fouls p90)

• Committed 3+ fouls versus Brazil

• AFCON foul stats: 1, 2, 3, 2

• Up against John McGinn (1.17 fouls p90)

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.

Look for Folarin Balogun to have three or more shots against Australia on Friday night. The USA forward arrived at the tournament in strong goalscoring form for both club and country, and he has carried that into the World Cup by bagging a brace against Paraguay. Notably, he registered five attempts in that game.

Looking further back across his 10 appearances for the co-hosts in the build-up to the World Cup, Balogun registered two or more attempts in seven of those outings.

He was also a serial shooter for Monaco in Ligue 1 last season, averaging 3.09 attempts per game, with his Champions League average close behind at 2.99. 

Australia lined up in a back five against Turkey and are likely to do the same here, which should invite sustained pressure and leave Balogun well placed to register at least three attempts.

I’m also backing Folarin Balogun to be fouled at least twice.

The USA striker is likely to attract extra attention here after his display against Paraguay last week. Not only did Balogun score two goals in that game, but he was also fouled on four occasions.

That ability to draw fouls was also evident in the USA’s final warm-up game against Germany, when Balogun was brought down two times. Looking further back, he was fouled a total of four times across his three appearances at the Copa America a couple of summers ago.

His domestic numbers last season further support the angle, as Balogun was drawing an average of 1.49 fouls per game in Ligue 1, rising to 1.99 in the Champions League.

He is likely to come into regular contact with all three of Australia’s centre-backs, two of whom committed fouls against Turkey.

Back the USA’s clash with Australia to produce at least two goals.

The USA began their World Cup campaign in emphatic fashion with a 4-1 win over Paraguay. Prior to that, their matches had been consistently generating goals, with 14 straight games featuring over 1.5 goals, while six of their final seven warm-up fixtures overcame the over 2.5 hurdle. 

While Australia may look to keep things tight and perhaps play for a draw, which could be enough to secure qualification, five of their last eight matches have featured over 1.5 goals.

Notably, one of those games was a friendly against the USA late last year, which the Stars and Stripes edged 2-1.

Mohamed Toure looks a strong contender to commit at least one foul in this contest. The Australian forward could be facing a difficult assignment leading the line against a USA side expected to dominate possession.

As a result, Toure may find himself pulled into wider areas and forced into defensive situations where he risks conceding cheap free kicks. He was guilty of two offences against Turkey last time out and had previously been penalised in five of his six appearances for the Socceroos.

Toure also showed during his time with Norwich last season that he can be prone to overstepping the mark, committing a combined total of four fouls across his final four appearances of the campaign.

He is likely to come up against USA defender Chris Richards, who was fouled once against Paraguay last Friday.

Tyler Adams is a player I regularly target to commit two or more fouls. The USA midfielder carries a real combative edge that was evident against Paraguay on matchday one, when he was reprimanded on multiple occasions and picked up a yellow card for his troubles.

The 27-year-old also committed 2+ fouls in each of the USA’s final two World Cup warm-up matches against Germany and Senegal, while the same was also true in friendly fixtures against Japan and South Korea last year.

Adams is also a familiar figure to Premier League referees, as he averaged 1.82 fouls per game last season, committing two fouls in each of his final three appearances of the campaign.

The case is further strengthened by the likelihood of a direct midfield battle with Aidan O'Neill, who has been fouled a combined total of six times across his last three starts for Australia.

Folarin Balogun can maintain his strong form by registering either a goal or an assist against Australia on Friday night. The USA forward struck twice against Paraguay last time out and comes into this fixture brimming with confidence. That brace means he now has 11 goals in 28 international appearances, alongside four assists.

The confidence and swagger he is playing with right now can be attributed to his impressive output for Monaco last season, where he netted 19 goals and provided five assists across 43 appearances in all competitions.

With the USA expected to dominate possession and dictate the tempo, Balogun should have ample opportunity to add to his two goals from last week, or turn provider.

Over 2.5 goals looks too big to ignore given how frequently it has landed in the USA’s matches of late. In fact, seven of the Stars and Stripes’ last eight fixtures have produced at least three goals, including last week’s 4-1 thrashing of Paraguay.

Prior to that, in friendly fixtures, the USA defeated Senegal 3-2, lost 5-2 to Belgium and thumped Uruguay 5-1, just to name a few. It should also be noted that one of those matches in that eight-game sequence was a 2-1 win over Australia.

What that run underlines is that Mauricio Pochettino’s side carry plenty of attacking threat, but remain far from watertight at the back.

As a result, the USA could cover the over 2.5 goal line on their own here, though Australia are more than capable of contributing themselves, as they demonstrated when striking twice against Turkey.

Given how I expect this game to play out tactically, over 5.5 corners looks well within range for the USA. Australia are likely to sit in a low block and invite pressure from the co-hosts, which should naturally lead to a healthy corner count.

Moreover, Mauricio Pochettino’s side have been producing some eye-catching corner numbers in recent times, forcing 10 in their final pre-World Cup friendly against Germany. Prior to that, the Stars and Stripes registered 6+ flag kicks against the likes of Belgium and Uruguay in friendlies.

There is further encouragement in the fact that Australia conceded eight corners in their World Cup opener against Turkey, while they shipped seven against Switzerland in their final warm-up match before the tournament.

Back Chris Richards to be fouled at least once on Friday night. Richards is the more natural ball carrier of the two USA centre-halves and should be afforded the opportunity to step into midfield. The Crystal Palace man was fouled once during the USA’s opening game of the World Cup against Paraguay, and that was also the case in two of his final five Premier League appearances last season.

What makes this selection even more appealing is that Richards is likely to be pressed and harried by Australia’s Mohamed Toure, who committed two fouls against Turkey. On top of that, the Socceroos forward had also overstepped the mark in five of his six international outings prior to that, making Richards a strong candidate to be fouled at an attractive price.

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Scott McTominay has had a shot on target in six of his last seven international matches for Scotland.

This selection landed in Scotland's opening game of the tournament thanks to Paddy Power's bonus of shots on target including the woodwork.

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Back the USA’s clash with Australia to produce at least two goals.

The USA began their World Cup campaign in emphatic fashion with a 4-1 win over Paraguay. Prior to that, their matches had been consistently generating goals, with 14 straight games featuring over 1.5 goals, while six of their final seven warm-up fixtures overcame the over 2.5 hurdle. 

While Australia may look to keep things tight and perhaps play for a draw, which could be enough to secure qualification, five of their last eight matches have featured over 1.5 goals.

Notably, one of those games was a friendly against the USA late last year, which the Stars and Stripes edged 2-1.

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.

After drawing with Morocco in their opening fixture, Brazil will want to send a message by winning their second match of the competition in some style. The Selecao are not short of offensive quality, having scored 3+ goals in three of their last seven, including six against a Panama team that qualified comfortably from CONCACAF and are ranked 34 in the world.

Haiti, by contrast, are down in 83rd. They are also no strangers to conceding a high volume of goals, conceding three or more in three of their last eight competitive fixtures.

Fresh from his equalising goal in Brazil’s opening match, Vinicius goes seeking an even bigger impact in his second game of the tournament. He had two shots on target in both Brazil’s pre-tournament friendly matches against Egypt and Panama, who are both teams with significantly stronger defences than the one the Real Madrid superstar will face against Haiti.

With Louicius Deedson likely to be Haiti’s biggest offensive threat, right back Carles Arcus may find himself exposed in one-v-one situations against the left winger, who loves to cut inside and shoot, with his goal against Morocco a textbook example.

It wasn’t their most convincing performance, but Scotland managed to get the job done against Haiti to pick up a crucial three points.

Lewis Ferguson was one of the standout performers in midfield for the Tartan Army, as he won ten of his 13 duels to keep the Haitians at bay. Ferguson has earned a reputation for being incredibly combative in the centre of the park, and he should be tested a lot more against Morocco in this round two fixture. 

Morocco put in an encouraging display against Brazil last time out, coming away with a 1-1 draw. Casemiro, who operates in a similar role to Ferguson, was carded in the first half, and he really struggled to contain the Moroccan midfield.

In his last 13 international appearances, Ferguson is averaging 2.84 fouls per 90, and he has been carded in five of those matches.

Turkey are in a precarious position following their 2-0 defeat to Australia, and they cannot afford to make any more mistakes.

Three points are a must for Vincenzo Montella’s side, who will have to be front-footed from the outset - Kenan Yildiz should return to the starting eleven here on the left wing, after surprisingly being benched against the Socceroos. 

The Juventus winger was one of the best players for Juventus this season, finishing the league campaign with ten goals and six assists, while also boasting the average of 1.77 fouls drawn per 90. Juan Caceres will have the tough task of trying to contain the 21-year-old, and that looks like a mismatch out wide.

Caceres was carded in the opening group stage fixture against USA, having accrued three fouls. He was rash in his challenges and had an average of 1.95 fouls per 90 for Paraguay during their World Cup qualifying matches.

Netherlands were held to a 2-2 draw by Japan last time out, after conceding from a corner in the 89th minute. That result puts the Dutch under considerable pressure for this fixture, knowing they could be in serious danger of going out if they drop points again. They will have to be front-footed in search of the three points. 

This matchup against Sweden won't be a walk in the park, given how convincingly they beat Tunisia last time out. Graham Potter’s men punished pretty much every mistake from Tunisia in round one - with a strike partnership of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, they will constantly be a threat going forward even against the elite teams.

Netherlands saw a total of nine corners in their opening fixture against Japan, with five corners for and four conceded. The Dutch often look to commit bodies forward with overlapping full backs, which allows them to consistently get to the byline and generate crossing opportunities - which in turn leads to more corners.

They will have to play with intent here against Sweden right from the outset. Graham Potter’s men didn’t have much defending to do in round one, but their backline doesn’t look as strong on paper as their attack. Netherlands will fancy their chances of causing issues in the final third.

Cody Gakpo will be the designated penalty taker for the Dutch, having scored a brace from the spot against Uzbekistan in the final World Cup warm-up friendly. He is one of the senior players in this Dutch squad, and has a massive role on the left wing under Ronald Koeman.

Gakpo can often be quite predictable in his play, looking to cut inside from the flank onto his stronger right foot, but he is still so difficult to stop - he had two shots against Japan last time out, one of which forced a save from Zion Suzuki. 

Gakpo scored four goals from eight starts for his national side in the qualifiers, finishing with an average of 2.48 shots per 90, with 44% of those efforts hitting the target.

Victor Lindelof helped Aston Villa secure the Europa League title this season, and he played a key role towards the end of the campaign. The 31-year-old was primarily used by Unai Emery to fill in gaps rather than being a consistent starter, which is reflected in his average of just 0.5 fouls per 90. 

However, Lindelof is given much greater responsibility for his national side with the captain's armband, and that has brought an uptick in fouls. Lindelof has an average of 1.32 fouls per 90 since the start of the Nations League, which included two infringements against Tunisia last time out. The centre back will be kept busy by Crysencio Summerville on the flank here.

Sweden's form over the last year or so has been quite inconsistent, with the highs of their Nations League campaign followed by the lows of their World Cup qualifying path. However, Gyokeres' output has remained steady for his national side. 

He was on the scoresheet against Tunisia last time out, and was unfortunate not to have scored more, given that he had five shots of which two hit the target, and one was cleared off the line. Gyokeres is a relentless threat in the final third - he scored nine goals in six matches in the Nations League and followed that up with four goals in six qualifying appearances.

Gyokeres has formed a formidable partnership up front with Isak, and those two will hope to cause real problems for the Dutch defensive unit at the NRG Stadium. Isak has had his fair share of injury issues this season, having suffered a serious leg injury against Tottenham earlier in the campaign, but the Liverpool striker has returned to full fitness and was exceptional against Tunisia in round one. 

He took just 30 minutes to open his goalscoring account in the competition, before providing the assist for Gyokeres in the second period, then doubling his assist tally in the 84th minute - finishing the game with three goal involvements. The 26-year-old will want to keep that form going against Netherlands, and he will know all about Virgil van Dijk, given that they are team-mates at Liverpool.

Cody Gakpo had an average of 1.79 fouls drawn per 90 in the qualifiers, which shows just how often he sees the ball. Even for Liverpool that figure remained high - he had an average of 1.51 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions. 

Based on that, Alexander Bernhardsson could be in for a tough match in the right wing back position, tasked with containing Gakpo. Bernhardsson had an average of 1.3 fouls per 90 for Sweden during their qualifying group, along with 2.07 tackles per 90. The Holstein Kiel defender also had an average of 1.94 fouls per 90 domestically this campaign, which shows how he tends to be strong in his tackles.

Netherlands were kept relatively quiet by an organised Japan defensive unit last time out, managing just 10 shots across the entire game. Denzel Dumfries blanked on the shot front in round one, but Netherlands will have to be considerably more front-footed against Sweden, given the group stage position they now find themselves in. That means Dumfries should pick up more promising positions in the final third. 

The full back doesn't need a second invitation to join in with attacks, and he had an average of 2.38 shots per 90 for the Netherlands across his six starts during the World Cup qualifiers. He chipped in with two goals and recorded a shot on target in five of those six appearances.

Micky van de Ven looks set to start in the left full back position for Netherlands again after a mixed performance against Japan in round one, where he was caught out a couple of times by Japan's wide men. He was initially fortunate to escape a booking after a strong challenge in the early minutes, before eventually finding his way into the referee's notebook in the final few minutes for a cynical drag back. 

The Tottenham defender has to cover considerably more ground when playing at full back compared to his natural central position, and although he is physically well suited to the role, van de Ven can find himself caught out of position and forced into conceding fouls.

USA scored after just seven minutes in their opener against Paraguay, going on to come away 4-1 winners.

Pochettino's side faced off against Australia back in October, coming away 2-1 winners in that game.

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This is a nice boost for Friday's football, it landed in USA's opener against Paraguay:

Result: USA 4-1 Paraguay ✅
Corners: USA 3-1 Paraguay ✅
Balogun: 3 SOT (2 Goals) ✅

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Back over 1.5 goals when Turkey take on Paraguay this weekend. Both teams will head into this crunch clash targeting maximum points, after disappointing opening game defeats.

There was no shortage of goalmouth action during Turkey’s World Cup qualifying campaign, with all six of their matches in the regular group stage producing over 1.5 goals. The same was true of the Crescent Stars’ two warm-up fixtures ahead of the tournament, while their opening game also delivered a couple of goals as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Australia.

As for Paraguay, they come into this encounter on the back of a heavy 4-1 loss to the USA. Another game featuring goals at both ends looks a strong possibility here.

It is also worth noting that six of the White-Reds’ seven friendly matches before the World Cup have produced at least two goals.

Look for Turkey v Paraguay to feature at least four cards. There is plenty riding on this clash after both teams lost their opening game, so sparks could fly.

Paraguay’s clash with the USA last weekend produced six cards, with the South Americans picking up the majority of those (five). Their numbers during qualification also add to the appeal, with their matches generating an average of 4.23 cards per game.

It was a near-identical story for Turkey during their own qualification campaign, with their fixtures featuring 4.25 bookings per 90 on average.

Referee Ivan Barton also adds to the case for cards, as he flashed 12 yellows and one red across the two matches he took charge of at the Club World Cup last summer.

I’m also keen on Hakan Calhanoglu to attempt two shots or more. The classy Turkish midfielder fired in no fewer than five efforts against Australia last week and was also regularly pulling the trigger during World Cup qualifying, averaging 2.58 shots per game.

Notably, Calhanoglu attempted multiple shots in four of his seven World Cup qualification appearances, including two in a home clash with Spain. He is also expected to be on penalty duties and is a specialist in long range free kicks, which further strengthens the case for siding with this selection.

It is also worth pointing out that the 33-year-old averaged 2.73 shots per game for Inter Milan in Serie A last season.

On top of all that, Paraguay conceded 16 shots against the USA last week.

Another player I'm backing to commit at least one foul is Hakan Calhanoglu. The Turkey skipper tends to find himself in the thick of the midfield battle, and that should certainly be the case here. Calhanoglu committed one foul against Australia on matchday one, while he averaged 0.97 fouls per 90 during World Cup qualifying, also collecting two yellow cards along the way.

He was also a frequent offender in Serie A last season, averaging 1.53 fouls per 90, while in the Champions League he averaged 1.07 fouls per game last term. 

Calhanoglu could find himself up against Mauricio, who came off the bench to score for Paraguay against the USA and was also fouled on one occasion.

Miguel Almiron looks a strong candidate to commit at least one foul in this crunch clash. While the Paraguayan playmaker is at his most dangerous in the final third, he is also more than willing to put in the hard yards defensively when required.

Almiron committed one foul in Paraguay's opening defeat to the USA and was a regular on the referee's radar throughout World Cup qualifying, averaging 0.91 fouls per game. That trend has continued at club level, with the former Newcastle man committing at least one foul in three of his six MLS starts this season.

The 32-year-old is likely to operate in similar areas of the pitch to Turkey wonderkid Arda Guler, who was fouled twice against Australia and was drawing an average of 2.36 fouls per game during qualification.

Brazil might have the reputation for being capable of playing beautiful football, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side also have an edge to them. In their last 18 competitive matches, they have received 2+ cards on 13 occasions.

That figure increases when they are outside of Brazil, with 2+ cards in nine of their last 10 games played either away from home or on neutral territory. Haiti, meanwhile, were apt at winning fouls against Scotland in their opening game, doing so on 21 occasions. The Scots saw three yellow cards, showing that Brazil could clock up their usual tally here.

Sunderland’s Isidor was unsurprisingly Haiti’s biggest threat against Scotland and he will recognise this match as an opportunity to make a name for himself on the biggest stage.

The 25-year-old was Sunderland’s most prolific shooter in the Premier League last season with 43 efforts, despite playing the equivalent of only 12.9 games. This equated to 3.32 shots per 90, underlining just how much he likes to shoot when he gets a sight of the target. He had two shots against Scotland and also had two efforts against Peru in Haiti’s final pre-tournament friendly.

Haiti showed enough against Scotland to suggest that they will be able to pose an offensive threat to a Brazil side that has not kept a clean sheet in their last six matches across all competitions. They are 2.1 to find the net – but they picked up four corners against Scotland and showed that they will carry a threat on the break. They are also a side that produce a high corner count, hitting at least three in their last six competitive matches as well as in three of their last four friendlies.

Brazil have what it takes to rack up a big score against Haiti, having found their touch in front of goal in the pre-tournament matches against Croatia, Panama and Egypt, in which they alone scored 13 times.

The Haiti defence have conceded 3+ goals to the likes of Honduras, Costa Rica and Curacao over the course of the last year. Although Haiti only leaked one against Scotland, they will face a Brazil side much more at home in this climate. Equally, this is not necessarily all about the Selecao clocking up a big score; they themselves have conceded in six successive matches, so don’t discount Haiti from finding the net and contributing to the tally.

After drawing with Morocco in their opening fixture, Brazil will want to send a message by winning their second match of the competition in some style. The Selecao are not short of offensive quality, having scored 3+ goals in three of their last seven, including six against a Panama team that qualified comfortably from CONCACAF and are ranked 34 in the world.

Haiti, by contrast, are down in 83rd. They are also no strangers to conceding a high volume of goals, conceding three or more in three of their last eight competitive fixtures.

Brazil will dominate this game in terms of territory and should put up a sizeable corner count as a result. During their qualifying campaign, the Selecao averaged 5.17 corners but typically faced opponents higher ranked than Haiti. In their opening World Cup encounter against Morocco, they picked up six corners, hinting that they could put up big numbers here. Haiti conceded 4.6 corners on average during their qualifying campaign and will face an opponent, the quality of which, they have never previously faced.

Fresh from his equalising goal in Brazil’s opening match, Vinicius goes seeking an even bigger impact in his second game of the tournament. He had two shots on target in both Brazil’s pre-tournament friendly matches against Egypt and Panama, who are both teams with significantly stronger defences than the one the Real Madrid superstar will face against Haiti.

With Louicius Deedson likely to be Haiti’s biggest offensive threat, right back Carles Arcus may find himself exposed in one-v-one situations against the left winger, who loves to cut inside and shoot, with his goal against Morocco a textbook example.

It’s very rare for Bruno Guimaraes to play a football match and not be fouled at least twice. The Newcastle central midfielder is currently on a streak of playing nine successive matches for club and country in which he has been fouled at least twice.

Over those fixtures, he has won an astonishing 31 fouls. Haiti, meanwhile, gave up a foul count of 23 against Scotland, with central midfielders Danley Jean-Jacques and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde contributing five towards that final tally. That was no fluke; in qualifying, Haiti averaged 14.6 fouls committed – another very sizeable figure.

Haiti’s central midfielder was strong against Scotland when it came to winning fouls to relieve pressure on the defence, and the 26-year-old will need those skills against a Brazil side that will dominate this game.

He won three fouls against Scotland, while he drew at least one in three of his last four outings for Philadelphia Union in MLS. Brazil’s central midfielders, meanwhile, are likely to impose themselves by pressing quickly. Bruno Guimaraes averages 1.65 fouls per 90 in the Premier League with Newcastle this season and is a likely head-to-head opponent along with Casemiro (1.61 fouls per 90).