By William Schomberg
June 11 (Reuters) - Scotland and Haiti cannot afford to start their World Cup campaigns gently when they meet on Saturday with both teams in need of a quick win in their tournament opener ahead of tougher opposition in the next two games.
Five-time world champions Brazil and Morocco - who defeated Spain and Portugal en route to the semi-finals in 2022 - are also in Group C, putting pressure on Les Grenadiers under French coach Sebastien Migne and Steve Clarke's Scotland to take
all three points at the Boston Stadium.
Neither country has ever reached the knockout phase of a World Cup: Haiti lost their three group games at their only previous appearance in 1974 while Scotland have fallen at the first hurdle in all eight of theirs.
But the enlargement of the competition and the introduction this year of the round of 32 will make it easier than ever to advance, and a total of three points from the group stage plus a respectable goal difference are likely to be enough.
Both teams head to Boston with confidence.
GOOD WARM-UPS
Scotland scored eight goals in two warm-up games against Curacao and Bolivia, conceding only once.
Clarke - leading the Scots to their first World Cup since 1998 - said he was facing "fantastic problems" selecting his starting 11 with several players hitting form.
Lawrence Shankland, newly signed by Glasgow giants Rangers, scored three goals in the two recent friendlies, while Torino forward Che Adams got a brace against Bolivia.
Scotland midfielder Ryan Christie told the BBC that no one was complacent about Haiti - ranked 83rd by FIFA - "but it gives us the chance to get off to a good start. You probably look at the group and that's the easiest on paper."
Haiti - bolstered by the inclusion of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Wilson Isidor, who both have English Premier League experience - thrashed New Zealand 4-0 before conceding two late goals to lose 2-1 to Peru in their pre-World Cup matches.
The Caribbean islanders, who played their home World Cup qualifying matches abroad due to gang warfare in Haiti, rely on foreign-based players with the sole exception of midfielder Woodensky Pierre. Migne, the coach, has not set foot in Haiti.
While Scotland can count on their raucous Tartan Army of travelling fans, Haiti are also likely to be roared on in Boston, home to the third-biggest Haitian community in the U.S.
(Writing by William Schomberg; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
