SCOTLAND'S progress under Pedro Martinez Losa will be put to the test when they play Sweden in a friendly at the SMiSA Stadium in Paisley tonight. The Spaniard's first three games in charge, against Hungary, twice, and the Faroe Islands, have brought nine World Cup qualifying points, but the Swedes are a vastly different proposition.

Always one of the pre-eminent women's football nations, they achieved their highest-ever FIFA ranking in August when they moved up three places to second behind world champions the United States. This was off the back of reaching the final of the Olympic tournament in Tokyo, when they lost a penalty shoot-out to Canada after extra-time.

The Swedes are unbeaten in 90 minutes for 21 matches, winning 17 of them. Nevertheless, the most recent, a 1-0 defeat of the Republic of Ireland in a World Cup qualifier in Dublin on Thursday night, wasn't emphatic either in the scoreline or attempts on goal.

Scotland, who themselves needed a last-minute winner to beat Hungary at Hampden the following night, need a tough test ahead of next month's key Group B qualifier in Spain. The top seeds are also on a hugely impressive run, having won their last 13 matches without conceding a goal.

Arsenal central defender Jen Beattie, who was player of the match on Friday and is in line for Scotland cap No.135, has already been on the losing side three times against Sweden. Her new head coach at Arsenal, Jonas Eidevall, is also Swedish.

“They are coming off the back of a very successful summer, getting a silver medal, and they're one of the best teams in the world right now,” Beattie pointed out.

“My experience playing with Swedish players, or against Sweden, is that they are very direct, very aggressive with the way they press.

“I'm expecting a game very similar to that. They're just pretty ruthless.”