Fast, powerful & flamboyant - why Scotland should be wary of Haiti

Scotland have been warned.

Haiti - the opening World Cup opponents for Steve Clarke's side on 14 June - served notice they will be no pushovers with a 4-0 friendly thrashing of New Zealand.

Stephen McGowan, football writer for The Herald, was at the game in Miami and left impressed by the Caribbean nation.

"Haiti are a fast, powerful, very direct attacking team. They play off-the-cuff, flamboyant football, they don't really do conservatism, they don't sit in," said McGowan on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"That might be a good thing for Scotland because if you remember the Hungary game at the Euros, we didn't really cope very well with having to go on the front foot and attack and have a go.

"There will be space to run into, but defending against this team will be difficult because they have lots of attacking options.

"Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor, Duckens Nazon was up front with him. And then they brought on a guy who played for Ferencvaros under Robbie Keane last season, actually scored a lot of goals, called Lenny Joseph, who scored the third goal. They've got real good attacking flair and options."

While McGowan described New Zealand - who featured Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood and Motherwell midfielder Elijah Just - as "terrible", he said Haiti's performance reinforced Steve Clarke's assertion that the side ranked 82 in the world are "not really a pot-four team".

"The elaborately named Ruben Providence, who scored a very good opening goal, is a former French Under-19 international and I think quite a few of their players fit into that category, including Isidor," McGowan added.

"They have drafted and assimilated lots of French players into their squad. They've managed to persuade a few players from the English Premier League. Thankfully, they didn't manage to get their hands on [former Celtic striker] Odsonne Edouard, who decided he would rather remain a Frenchman.

"But they have managed to strengthen their squad quite a bit. There was a watching Scotland contingent there tonight. There was Stephen Naismith, Alan Irvine, Scot Gemmill. Some of the analysts left 10 minutes from the end, but I think they had seen enough to tell them that this is not going to be an easy game.

"Haiti flowed with real attacking intensity. I think it's the only way they know how to play. And the key for Scotland will be can they exploit the defensive frailties in a way New Zealand simply couldn't."