Steve Clarke and Andy Robertson fronted the media in Foxborough on the eve of Scotland's World Cup opener against Haiti, with the manager determined to keep the focus on Saturday's first step rather than anything that might distract from it. Scotland begin their campaign on Sunday 02:00 BST, and the mood around the camp is that there is no room for a slow start.
That urgency is why people are searching Live now: Scotland are about to find out whether this tournament can keep moving after the first whistle. Scott McTominay eased one concern by training on Friday after a stomach upset and being declared fit to play, leaving Clarke with a fuller hand than he might have feared at the start of the week.
Clarke said he did not want anything “overhanging” him at the World Cup, and said that was the one thing he had been very clear on. It was a pointed line for a manager whose side has spent the build-up trying to clear the air, and it came with captain Robertson at his side as Scotland prepared to leave the noise behind and get to work.
The stakes are hard to miss. Tom English described the opener as non-negotiable and said any slip-up could mean curtains for Scotland, even if Haiti’s form suggests this is a fixture Clarke’s side should expect to win; Haiti have won only four of their last 14 matches. English also noted that the players are still carrying frustration from the last two Euros, which has fed the “no regrets” and “don't die wondering” mood around the squad.
That is the friction in Scotland’s position: the match looks manageable on paper, but the margin for error is brutally thin because a poor start would immediately drag the rest of the campaign into danger. The unanswered question is not whether Scotland can talk themselves into believing they should win, but whether Clarke can turn that conviction into a clean opening performance when the pressure finally lands. Scotland face Haiti on Saturday, with the match scheduled for Sunday 02:00 BST, and that first result will set the tone for everything that follows.
