Craig Levein has every faith in the players taken to the USA to return home with a positive result. The latest FIFA rankings show the hosts to be rated as 29th in the world, while the Scots trail behind in 48th spot. 11 players who could have been in contention for the friendly have been left behind due to injury, illness and family reasons. However, the Scotland manager has still been able to name a strong 22-man squad for the game in Jacksonville, which takes place in the early hours of Sunday morning UK time, fills Levein with optimism for the future. He said: "I've got 11 players who aren't here and they are guys who have been in starting positions. Six of them play in the Premier League. Those players haven't made it here for loads of different reasons. I look at that and I look at the group that we've got here and I feel that we are quite strong. I don't think we have been in this position for a while. This will be a tough match. They are well above us in the rankings, they are an experienced team and they've got all their best players here and they are preparing for qualifiers. There are a lot of things in this game that go against us but I have great confidence in this group of boys to do well in those difficulties. Part of the reason for that is their attitude and that's important." Barry Bannan suffered a slight knock in training earlier in the week but is expected to be fit for the game. Shaun Maloney will earn his first cap since November 2010, while Matt Phillips will make his international debut after being forced to pull out of the friendly against Slovenia in February through injury. On the Blackpool winger, Levein said: "I wanted to play him in Slovenia, I wanted to play him and James Forrest. It was a bit of a blow because (scout) Mick Oliver has been trailing him and we have been working really hard to get him on board. I've been really excited when I've seen him play, I've been down at Blackpool a lot. He played really well again in the play-offs and the play-off final. For me, having him and James Forrest in the team will give us another dimension, something we haven't had before, which is real pace. In international football, particularly away from home, with counter-attacking football, you need real pace in the team. We have had a lot of really good players but we haven't had that real electric pace that those two have got and it does make a huge difference away from home. I know they are young lads and I don't mean to put a lot of pressure on them but their particular talents are something we don't have. That's what we are looking for - to have more and to have better." Meanwhile, Levein believes the Rangers trio of Allan McGregor, Steven Whittaker and Lee Wallace are in the right frame of mind for the game despite the turmoil at their club in recent months. He said: "What happens, happens. I can't dip my toe into any other waters. I've got enough to do here. I pick the players and bring them together and if they are not in a good mental place to come then they will tell me that. I expect everybody who is here to be ready to play."
Source: FOOTYMAD
