Bolivia boss Oscar Villegas is looking to put a dent in Scotland’s World Cup preparations in New Jersey on Saturday.
Steve Clarke’ side take on the South Americans in their final warm-up match before returning to the top stage for the first time in 28 years where they face Haiti in Foxborough the following weekend, with Morocco and Brazil to follow.
Bolivia – who failed to qualify for the tournament in North America – and Scotland will meet for the first time and speaking through an interpreter at Sports Illustrated Stadium, Villegas said: “We have a very strong selection.
“We have young players. We are here to play Scotland who are in 43rd position in the world ranking. We are preparing to qualify for the next World Cup and we expect to win tomorrow.
“They have a number of very talented players, including some who play at clubs such as Napoli or Tottenham.
"They are strong team with quality experience and players capable of making a difference at the highest level."
Read more
-
Steve Clarke extends USA-shaped invitation to Billy Gilmour after World Cup heartache
-
Scotland 6-0 Israel: Andreatta hails side after emphatic win in World Cup qualifying
-
I'm in the USA for the first AI World Cup but Americans don't seem to have noticed
He continued, " Scotland have a coach that renewed his contract until 2030. This is the way to work in a federation, they have to make a process and they are confident about that. We know there is a large Bolivian community in the US and we expect many of them to come and support us.
“Naturally, if we were playing in a World Cup, the volume present would be even greater. Nevertheless, we understand that Scotland will be the team with the majority of support and will effectively be playing at home in this match.
“And we want to experience the pressure that comes from playing against a strong opponent in front of their supporters. In our country, we’re very strong and are used to having the crowd behind us.
“This is a valuable opportunity for us to become familiar with a different environment and to test ourselves under pressure against a top national team.”
