Observers preview the World Cup matchup of Scotland vs. Morocco

Upsets have been the trend at the World Cup.Cape Verde’s scoreless draw against Spain was the true shocker of the tournament. New Zealand’s tie against Iran, Saudi Arabia pulling even vs.

Uruguay and Egypt matching Belgium all fit the early craze.Boston Stadium in Foxboro hasn’t found its marquee match yet with Scotland and Norway winning as expected over Haiti and Iraq. The Scots remained in New England, went viral a few times, donated a reported $30,000 to Providence charities, and are now ready for Morocco in their second match of the tournament.

The Providence Journal’s Jacob Rousseau and Bill Koch will be at every match at Boston Stadium for the World Cup. And we’ve teamed with Rhode Island FC assistant coach Marcos Ugarte for our World Cup coverage. Ugarte, a Rhode Islander, is on call for pregame and postgame evaluations of the matches at Boston Stadium.

Match start time between Scotland and Morocco is set for 6 p.m. Friday in Foxboro.

“I'm putting it right up there and it’s maybe the best game of the tournament so far,” Ugarte said. “The context is important with Scotland on three points — they punch their ticket to the next round with a result. Morocco, let's say they were to lose; they're now not relying on their own destiny to get in.

There's a lot at stake and that's why these second set of games within the group are really interesting. Everything's still alive, but your fate can really head in one direction based on the result.”The Scots will certainly have the favor of neutral fans at Gillette Stadium, but Scotland isn’t the favorite in its second Group C matchup.

Morocco made history in 2022 as the first African nation to reach the World Cup semifinals. It already drew Brazil in its opening match of the tournament, and anything less than a quarterfinal appearance would be disappointing.Walid Regragui stepped down as Morocco’s manager in March and Mohamed Ouahbi was quickly appointed as bench boss.

He leads a side headlined by Paris Saint-Germain right b