JAMIE McAllister will face by far the biggest test of his football career if selected to play for Scotland in next week's friendly international against Argentina at Hampden Park.

More accustomed to shackling wingers in the Coca-Cola Championship, Bristol City's experienced defender could instead find himself up against some of the most gifted attacking players on the planet.

An injury sustained by Scotland's first-choice left-back Gary Naysmith has drastically improved McAllister's prospects of making manager George Burley's starting line-up on Wednesday.

And City's vice-captain says he is relishing the challenge of pitting his wits against the likes of Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez and Liverpool midfielder Javier Mescherano on the international stage.

"They don't come much bigger than Argentina and this is going to be a massive game for Scotland," said McAllister, who learned of his call-up when Burley telephoned him earlier this week.

"It's a chance to test myself against some of the best players in the world and I'm really excited."

McAllister and his team-mates can expect no favours from an Argentine side desperate to impress new manager Diego Maradona.

"To come up against Maradona will be something special," claims the former Hearts and Aberdeen defender.

"He was a real hero of mine when I was growing up and I'm sure his appointment will have come as a big boost to the Argentina squad. "Maradona is a national hero and one of the greatest players there's ever been and they'll be right up for this game. It may be a friendly, but it's a big occasion and it means a lot to both countries."

Denied an opportunity to test himself in the Barclays Premier League when City were beaten by Hull in last season's Championship play-off final at Wembley, McAllister says facing top opposition on the international stage will help make amends.

He confided: "I would have loved to have been coming up against players like Tevez and Mescherano in the Premiership, but this is the next best thing.

"All players want to test themselves against the very best and I'm no different."

Named in Burley's squad for last month's World Cup qualifier against Norway, McAllister watched from the substitutes' bench as Naysmith filled the left-back berth in a goalless draw at Hampden.

But the Sheffield United defender is struggling to recover from a groin injury and McAllister insists he is fit and ready to play if called upon following a spell on the sidelines himself. "I've trained every day this week and I'm raring to go," confirmed McAllister, who suffered severe bruising to his foot following a collision with Barnsley striker Jon Macken at Oakwell on October 25.

He added: "I only missed a couple of weeks and I'm feeling fit.

"I know all about Gary Naysmith's situation and, if he doesn't make it, I'd like to think George Burley will turn to me."

McAllister, who last played for Scotland in a friendly international against Jamaica in 2004, was expected to watch City take on Nottingham Forest from the sidelines at Ashton Gate today before flying north to join the Scotland party in Glasgow tomorrow.