Goodwillie in frame as Scots are left with few options up front

Some alteration will in any case be required in midfield, as Scott Brown is suspended along with Miller as a result of the bookings which both men picked up in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against the Czech Republic. Charlie Adam is doubtful with a hip injury, while Steven Whittaker is available again after missing the game against the Czechs because of suspension.

Mackail-Smith, who was also unavailable for the game two days ago because of his back injury, left the Scotland squad yesterday and returned to Brighton. Levein decided against making any call-ups to his squad, believing he already has adequate cover.

Saturday’s result further damaged Scotland’s hopes of reaching the play-offs by finishing second behind Spain in Group I. With the Czechs five points ahead, albeit having played a game more, the Scots could win tomorrow and in their subsequent matches against Liechtenstein and Spain yet still not have enough points to qualify. Even so, Levein has insisted that his team can still finish above Saturday’s opponents.

“Until the position arises that we can’t qualify, then we’ll fight on,” he said. “We’re on five points, and they’re on ten. They’ve still got to go to Lithuania, and face Spain at home.

“So it’s not beyond the realms of possibility for them to lose these two games. If the Czechs lose these two games, and we win our next two, we’ll go a point in front of them.”

Although the loss of two points at the weekend has made victory tomorrow night even more essential, Levein implied that it had in any case been his intention to treat tomorrow night as a must-win game, and to bring back players who had been left out of the squad on Saturday. “The result doesn’t really affect the planning. The injuries and suspensions will obviously have an effect on the planning, because Kenny and Scott would have been in the team.

“We tried our best [against the Czechs] to get forward at every opportunity, and at times I thought we overcommitted. But the lads were desperate to win the game and we will be desperate to win on Tuesday. Tuesday now is really important. We can still build momentum. Remember, we didn’t lose against a very good Czech side. Arguably, we should have won the game.

“I saw some great encouragement, some more good stuff – and training ground stuff that got us two goals. So now we focus on Tuesday.“

Phil Bardsley was taken off injured on Saturday, and although last night’s medical bulletin did not list him as a doubt, it remains to be seen if he is passed fit for tomorrow.

“I’ll obviously need to check with the full-backs situation, with Bardsley being injured, and also see how Alan Hutton is, bearing in mind he has hardly played,” Levein went on.

“My original idea was to play Hutton in the Czech game, and, depending on how he went, put Steven Whittaker in for the second game. But Phil getting a calf problem has kind of scuppered that, unless there is rapid improvement from him.”

Levein found the end of Saturday’s game hard to stomach after the referee awarded the Czechs a penalty and denied Scotland one minutes later. The manager’s initial reaction was to seek out the official and ask for an explanation, but he decided that would have been futile.

“I’ve had my history with refs. What can I say after a game?

“It is hard for a manager to look for an apology. There is absolutely no chance of that. He’ll be away enjoying his meal and his glass of wine, and get away home with no concerns whatsoever. What is done is done.

“I had to calm myself down more than anything. If I’d stayed I would only have ended up in a confrontation, and I can’t win that one, either.”