Euro 2008/Group B: The talk on the flight to Ukraine may have centred on the striker who had been left behind but Walter Smith seemed relatively unconcerned by the absence of Garry O'Connor. Instead, he was encouraged by the return of Kenny Miller, who was suspended for the victory over France but will lead the attack at the Olympic Stadium tomorrow with Scotland relieved to have him back.

The resurgence under Smith owes much to Miller, the management's initial desire to ensure the Scots were stingy demanding a forward who could work tirelessly in a lone role with an ability to plunder from one of the few chances eked out. The 26-year-old has duly flourished, his efforts rewarded most notably with a fine goal against Italy during the qualification campaign for the World Cup.

He will earn his 29th cap tomorrow having scored in his last two appearances for his country, against the Faroes and Lithuania last month, to take his tally to nine goals.

From the sidelines Miller shared his team-mates' sense of triumph at deflating the French, a victory which edged Scotland clear at the top of Group B with maximum points from their opening three fixtures. Now that impressive start must be maintained against the World Cup quarter-finalists. "It was a massive result on Saturday but it's only one step towards the finals," said the Celtic striker. "It's been a dream start but we're going into games now thinking we can go and win. To be honest, we've proved we can away from home.

"The manager's tactics have been absolutely spot on ever since he came in. He'll have us playing the way he knows can get us a result."

Miller will have his chance to make that scenario a reality, explaining why O'Connor's absence - the Lokomotiv Moscow forward would have been a substitute at best - is unlikely to prove critical to Smith at this stage. The manager has called up Hibernians defender Steven Whittaker to replace the suspended Christian Dailly, booked for time-wasting against the French, and the injured Russell Anderson.

The defenders will be heartened by the possible absence of Andriy Shevchenko, with the Chelsea striker labouring under a fever. The Scots bring with them a sense of optimism.