MATTEO READY FOR AUSSIE START

The midfielder will make his first appearance for Scotland after his recent switch from England, whom he has represented at under-21 level in non-competitive games.

And Dumfries-born Matteo, who underlined his growing reputation with the goal in the Guiseppe Meazza Stadium last week against AC Milan which booked Leeds' place in the second phase of the Champions League is relishing the chance to pull on a dark blue jersey.

"I am desperate to play for Scotland," he told a press conference on Monday at Hampden. "I'm here now and hopefully I will play on Wednesday."

Matteo, who left Scotland at the age of four to live in Liverpool, insisted there was never any case of him turning his back on his country.

"As a little boy, I used wear the Scotland kit and hope that one day I would play for them. I was born in Scotland and want to play for them, it is as simple as that.

"England approached me when I was a kid to play for them and when you are 16 or 17 you are never going to turn something like that down. Anyway, Scotland had never asked me and I felt that, living in Liverpool, I would probably not be known about anyway to the people in charge up here.

"But for one reason or another, I never played a competitive fixture for England and when Scotland came back and asked if I would play for them, I sat down and had a think about it and this is where I want to play my international football."

Meanwhile Kenny Miller, the Rangers striker who has been in red-hot form is ruled out of the joint Hampden baptism by a groin injury picked up in the SPL victory over Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Sunday, in which he scored.

Celtic's Jackie McNamara, who received a bad groin injury in the match with Bordeaux last Thursday, was also officially ruled out as was Rangers forward Allan Johnston who has not played for weeks with a toe problem.

Kilmarnock's Andy McLaren is on standby and may get a call up on Tuesday to the squad which is training at his club ground, Rugby Park.