Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- For Haiti this is a historic occasion: their first World Cup appearance since West Germany 1974 — a 52-year wait — and only their second ever. Under Sébastien Migné, a small Caribbean nation returns to the game's biggest stage.
- Scotland are back at the finals for the first time since France 1998, a 28-year gap, in their ninth appearance overall. Steve Clarke sets up in a 3-4-2-1, chasing a first-ever escape from the group stage after the long absence.
- Scotland's captain is world-class left-back Andy Robertson (32, Liverpool). His overlapping runs and accurate crossing are the team's biggest weapon, and the battle down the left could decide who controls the match.
- The midfield features Serie A champion Scott McTominay (29) and Aston Villa mainstay John McGinn (31), the nation's sixth-highest scorer. Their box-to-box drive and tenacity in the duels are aimed at dominating the centre.
- Haiti's spiritual leader is 38-year-old captain and goalkeeper Johny Placide. His experience guards the goal, while up front Frantzdy Pierrot (31, with 33 goals in 49 caps) leads a counter-attacking threat.
- Scotland inject pace on the right through 20-year-old Ben Gannon-Doak, a Liverpool academy product. The blend of that youthful attacker with experienced centre-backs like Grant Hanley (34) and Celtic-bred Jack Hendry is one to watch.
- Stepping onto the big stage after roughly half a century, Haiti's challenge is how far they can express their own football against a traditional European side in Scotland — a golden chance to announce themselves to the world.