Scotland vs Morocco: Surprising Brahim Diaz odds offer excellent value in World Cup Group C showdown

Scotland will take on Morocco on Friday night as the second round of Group C fixtures at the 2026 World Cup get underway.

Following their win over Haiti, Scotland come into the match as the group leaders, but they will need to avoid defeat here if they are to retain that position ahead of the final round of fixtures next week.

There is no doubt that Morocco will be a sterner test than Haiti were for Steve Clarke's men, and the betting odds reflect that. Scotland are priced at 17/4 to win with Bet365, while Morocco are priced at 8/11 to pick up the three points.

There are many players in the Moroccan ranks who will worry Steve Clarke ahead of Friday, but there is one man in particular whose recent form suggests he has a big night ahead.

Brahim Diaz to score or assist vs Scotland?

Brahim Diaz is one of the shining lights in this Morocco team, and operates on another level than the majority of the Scotland back line.

The Real Madrid man has made 27 appearances for Morocco and has scored 14 goals at an average of more than one goal every other game. What's more, he has scored or assisted in six of his last eight competitive appearances for the national team.

While the likes of Ismael Saibari and Ayyoub Bouaddi took all the plaudits against Brazil, Diaz's recent record suggests it is only a matter of time before he lights up the World Cup.

Despite averaging a goal or assist in 75% of his last eight competitive outings for Morocco, his odds to record another goal or assist against Scotland are surprisingly long at 7/5 with BetMGM. This is an implied probability of just 41.7%.

Who can stop Diaz?

Diaz operated from the right against Brazil, but he is far from a typical winger. He is likely to spend the majority of his time in the spaces between the right wing and the centre of the pitch, an area that Andy Robertson will want to be dragged into due to the threat of the overlapping Hakimi.

That means either someone in the Scotland midfield will have to drop deeper, or one of the two centre-backs will have to step up to engage with him. The issue for Scotland is that Scott McKenna, their best centre back, is expected to miss out through injury.

As a result, the defensive responsibility falls on Hibernian's Grant Hanley or Al-Ettifaq's Jack Hendry. Without being disrespectful to either man, there is nobody in the Scottish Premiership who plays on the same level as Diaz, and all Al-Ettifaq had the second-leakiest defence in the top half of the Saudi Pro League last season.