Andy Robertson is bracing himself for the challenge of facing the man he rates as the best right-back on the planet when he resumes his rivalry with Achraf Hakimi in Boston.
The Scotland skipper went up against the flying Paris Saint-Germain defender three times across the past year in the Champions League for Liverpool.
Robertson got the upper hand in the first clash in Paris in 2025 but lost the second leg on penalties and was a substitute in the French capital as Hakimi’s side established an unassailable 2-0 lead in April’s quarter-final.
‘I can’t speak highly enough of him,’ said Robertson, who’s since moved to Tottenham.
‘I’ve got huge admiration for him and all that he’s doing just now. So, it’s going to be a tough task. What a fantastic player.
‘I think he’s the best full-back in the world, him and Nuno Mendes on the other side at PSG.
Andy Robertson has faced Morocco star Achraf Hakimi three times in the last year at club level
‘We played against them twice at Liverpool in the last two years of the Champions League and both are phenomenal, a joy to watch.
‘Everyone enjoys watching Hakimi, the freedom he plays with, the way he pops up in your box one second then the next he’s back defending in his own.
‘So, I have huge admiration for all he does — but hopefully he has one of his quiet games here.’
While Hakimi and Brahim Diaz are the star men for the North Africans, manager Mohamed Ouahbi has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal including Arsenal target Ayyoub Bouaddi and Ismael Saibari, the scorer against Brazil, who’s just signed for Bayern Munich.
‘I think they’re all dangerous,’ added Robertson. ‘That’s the biggest compliment I can give them.
‘They’ve got quality all over the pitch, so many good players all over that it’s so hard to then focus on one — because then another one will pop up and punish you. There’s so much quality in their midfield.
Robertson savours the victory over Haiti with manager Steve Clarke at full-time in Boston
‘Rather than picking out one or two players, I’d say that as a team and as a unit, they’re going to be such a hard team to play against. A fantastic team.’
Were Scotland to match them on the night, though, a place in the knock-out round would be all but confirmed, meaning Robertson would be the first man in history to skipper the side in the second phase of a tournament.
‘You try not to think too much about it because we’ve got such tough tasks ahead of us,’ he insisted. ‘But I don’t think any of the lads or coaching staff have shied away from it.
‘We want to be the first team to be able to do it for our country and it’s a nice feeling.
‘We know how difficult it’s going to be. We’re now playing against one of the best teams in the world, but we believe we can make any game difficult.
‘If we can do that and if we can put in our best performance, I believe we can get what we want and hopefully be the ones that achieve history.’
Meanwhile, Robertson has revealed that an executive from the Fenway Group personally contacted him to compliment the behaviour of the Tartan Army.
Robertson revealed praise from senior Liverpool executives at Fenway over the Tartan Army
The people of Massachusetts have taken Scotland fans to their hearts across the past week. Thousands attended the Boston Red Sox game against the Texas Rangers on Sunday, with the dancing and singing going down a storm.
The Red Sox and Liverpool share the same owners and Robertson was delighted to receive a message from one key figure who was blown away with the scenes at Fenway Park.
‘He was just saying that basically the Red Sox game had turned into a Tartan Army party,’ explained Robertson.
‘I think he was happy to hear different songs getting sung, about all the kilts there being so many Scotland shirts about the place. They certainly made a night of it at the baseball.
‘The biggest compliment I can give them is I’m not surprised. When they went to Germany, every city they were in, the people fell in love with them.
‘I think when they go to away games in qualifying campaigns, people fall in love with them and Boston has been exactly the same.
‘I think the Liverpool owners were absolutely delighted with that.’
