Scotland manager Walter Smith is backing his players to overcome Belarus today despite missing almost an entire team through injury and suspension.

The absence of key players was a feature of the ill-fated reign of previous manager Berti Vogts, but the call-offs have now reached unprecedented levels for Smith's third game in charge.

Scotland need to beat a Belarus side Smith regards as better than Norway and Slovenia to gain ground on them in the battle for a World Cup play-off spot.

Kenny Miller, Steven Pressley and Graham Alexander all featured in Saturday's 2-0 win over Moldova, the result which finally kick-started the Scots' qualification campaign, but all three are regarded as doubts.

Smith is already without Jackie McNamara, Robert Douglas, Nigel Quashie, Gary Naysmith, David McNamee, Garry O'Connor, Stevie Crawford, Neil McCann and Brian O'Neil through injury and Paul Hartley through suspension.

But the manager, who welcomes Gary Caldwell back after a ban, was adamant he could still put out a side capable of achieving its tricky mission.

"We are not struggling to put a team on the pitch. We are struggling to know exactly who we can put there," Smith said.

"There is a difference, and whoever we put on the pitch we are optimistic can play well. We have enough players to do well in the game.

"We obviously have a way of playing in mind, having watched Belarus, and that needs a certain type of player."

Smith had toyed with bringing in some of Rainer Bonhof's under-21 squad but will not do so.

Victory will take Scotland above Belarus and into fourth place as the two nations use up the game in hand they possess over the other nations.

It would also take them to within a point of Norway and Slovenia, who are separated only by goal difference.