Hibs striker Garry O'Connor has been forced to withdraw from the Scotland squad for this week's World Cup qualifiers because of a back injury.
The tall striker, who scored his first goal for his country against Austria recently, was unable to train and the team doctors decided that he would not be fit for international action.

Walter Smith has not called up any more strikers, and that could mean a lone attacking role for Kenny Miller, who joined the squad yesterday after playing the night before for his club. It may also mean a support role for the other forwards in the squad, Stevie Thompson and the uncapped Craig Beattie and Lee Miller.

Scotland manager Walter Smith aims to adopt an attacking approach in a bid to upset Italy in the first of the qualifiers on Saturday. "I don't think it would be wise to sit back waiting for something to happen," said Smith ahead of the Hampden clash. "It is our home game and we are going to have to go forward and try to cause Italy a problem."

"We will have to be patient to a degree, but we must also have an intent and purpose to our attack."

The Hampden Roar may well be needed if the Bravehearts are going to pull of the result of all results!

Scotland have found goals hard to come by, scoring just three times in the six Group Five games so far.

"We have a good defensive record in the group," added Smith. "Only Norway have a better one than us and that's something we can build on.

"But we know we have to do more than defend if we are going to be succesful."

Scotland travel to Norway on Wednesday and Smith has targeted at least four points from the games to keep World Cup hopes alive.

"There is an increasing belief in the squad that we have an opportunity to win games now - regardless of who we are playing against" said Walter Smith.

Therefore, the former Everton and Rangers boss recognises beating Italy would mean little if a loss in Oslo followed.

But Smith will leave any concerns over consistency for another time as he prepares to take on Italy's galaxy of stars.

He said: "That's Scotland. That's what we have always been like. "We have a good result one day and a not very clever one the next. "But, hopefully, we can achieve a good result and give me the worry about consistency later."

Since Smith took over Scotland were beaten by Italy in March at the San Siro Stadium before defeating Moldova in June.

A goalless draw in Belarus followed four days later and there was much to admire in the recent 2-2 friendly draw in Austria.

"There is an increasing belief in the squad that we have an opportunity to win games now - regardless of who we are playing against," added Smith.

"And I hope that stretches to Italy. Obviously it wasn't there in the first game, where we played exceptionally well especially in the second half."

The Scots have beaten the Italians just once before, when a John Greig strike earned a World Cup qualifying win at Hampden in November 1965.

And Smith was a teenage member of a 109,000-strong crowd on a night when none of his current squad were born.

"I was at the game and was then a colleague of John Greig's for many years at Rangers," continued Smith. "John has never been that modest about telling people about that goal.

"But, more than anything else, it shows just how big a task we have in front of us.

Smith finshed with, "Italy are a major footballing nation and we are talking about one victory 40 years ago. "It was a great win and a great night for Scotland and it is up to us to emulate that on Saturday."