Steve Clarke has warned Scotland the Morocco team they will face on Friday are superior to the one who reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2022.

Scotland kicked off their tournament with a 1-0 win over Haiti, which came hours after Morocco impressed during a 1-1 draw with Brazil. Clarke answered with a firm “absolutely” when asked whether Morocco will pose as stern a threat as Brazil to his side in Group C.

“We are under no illusion about the size of the task,” said Clarke. “I feel Morocco are a really, really good side. They reached the last four of the last World Cup and I have a feeling this Morocco team is slightly better than that, so that gives you an idea of the task ahead. They have power, they have pace, they have little bits of skill that can open up a game. For me they are the real deal, a top side. We will have to be at our very best to compete.

“It is a big challenge for us. We give them a lot of respect. We expect they will probably have more of the ball, more possession. We have to make sure that when we have the ball we can be a threat to Morocco.”

Clarke deployed a back three for the friendly against Côte d’Ivoire in March, which may serve as a clue to his plan or Morocco. It is a near certainty that Scotland will not lineup in the 4-4-2 formation used against Haiti. “Every system that we have ever played, we have put a lot of work into,” Clarke said. “I have shown over my time as head coach that we can play different systems. It is something that we have always wanted to expand on, more systems, different personnel for different games.

“Sometimes the Scottish psyche and mentality is that we are a little more comfortable when we are the underdog. We were the favourites against Haiti and found the game a struggle, but we managed to win. This time we are the underdogs and sometimes Scotland prefer it that way.”

Barring an utterly bizarre series of results, a point should be enough to earn Scotland a tournament knockout berth for the first time ever. They could progress on three points, which brings protection of goal difference into the conversation. It is one, however, Clarke is happy to ignore. “You just have to play the game,” said the 62-year-old. “The first thing is to try and win, if you can’t win then don’t lose. Permutations and whatever else is for you guys [the media] and all the punters to think about, not for us.

“The players feel good about themselves. They wanted to win a game at a major tournament and have done that. Now they want the next step, which is to get what we need out of the next two games to make a little bit of history for Scotland. The training was electric today. We feel good.”

Clarke made time during pre-match media duties to offer words of support to the family of Donnie Strathie. The 76-year-old had travelled to Boston as a Scotland fan but died in the aftermath of the Haiti game. “In among all the good news that has come out the World Cup for Scotland, that is obviously very sad for his family; his daughters, his grandchildren,” said Clarke. “My thoughts and condolences are with his family.”