Christophe Berra's fourth international goal has Scotland in front at Hampden.

Image source, SNS

Image source, SNS

Leigh Griffiths makes his way into the penalty area from the left and here comes James Forrest scampering on his outside to gather a pass. The Celtic winger fizzes in a low cross and a stretching defender diverts the ball narrowly wide of his own goal.

Another Malta corner. Another Christophe Berra clearance.

Stuart Armstrong loses a boot on the counter-attack after his toes are trod on and the momentum is lost near the halfway line.

Corner to Malta. Christophe Berra nods it away. The visitors come again and Rowen Muscat goes down under pressure from Andy Robertson. It's a pretty feeble dive and he's maybe lucky not to be booked.

Leigh Griffiths has time to look up and have a lash from distance but he doesn't quite catch it right and the shot skids wide.

Steven Thompson
Former Scotland striker on BBC Sportsound

Stuart Armstrong has been very busy in these opening minutes and the Celtic midfielder runs on to a nice pass from Andy Robertson before slamming a first-time effort into the side-netting.

Tom English
Chief sports writer, BBC Scotland at Hampden

It took England 53 minutes to break Malta down on Friday. Scotland have done it in nine minutes. Carbon copy of the opener in Vilnius. That's three assists and two goals for Leigh Griffiths in his last two and a bit internationals.

Matt Phillips drives in a low cross from the left and the Malta keeper can't collect. It falls to the feet of Leigh Griffiths but he is blocked by a lunging defender. James McArthur with the follow-up and another defender gets in the way.

Tom English
Chief sports writer, BBC Scotland at Hampden

"People passing pieces of paper around the Hampden media area with the words England 0 Slovakia 1 written down. The response can't be reported alas."

Stuart Armstrong is first to have a dig at goal but drags his shot from the edge of the penalty area wide of the target.

Scotland bossing the ball but it's all a bit pedestrian, with Malta sitting deep and untroubled so far.

A peep of the whistle from Danish referee Jakob Kehlet and Malta get us started...

Leigh Griffiths opened his Scotland account with two wonderful free-kicks against England in June.

The 27-year-old striker has had to be patient since his debut almost five years ago but he is the man trusted to lead the line now.

He is one of six Celtic players to start and that familiarity and the confidence that comes with winning week-in, week-out at club level must help.

Griffiths must fancy a goal tonight.

Image source, SNS

Here come the teams...

National anthems, handshakes, then we're off.

Did you get our earlier teaser? Here are the other Scotland players to have netted more than once in a match against Malta.

Alan 'Rambo' McInally netted both goals in a 2-1 win in 1990 and, seven years later, Darren Jackson scored a brace in a 3-2 victory. Both of those were friendly encounters.

Image source, SNS/Getty

If any members of the Tartan Army have forgotten the 2002 draw in the Faroe Islands or relying on a Stephen McManus goal deep into stoppage-time against Liechtenstein at Hampden in 2011, then there was a timely reminder of what international football's small fry can do in Toulouse last night, where Luxembourg held France to a 0-0 draw.

France, boasting an array of global superstars, had 76% possession, 34 shots and hit the woodwork twice.

It could have been worse for Les Bleus since the visitors struck a post during a second-half breakaway.

The crowd inside the national stadium is pretty modest at the moment; less than half full by a long shot.

Traffic problems may be contributing and the awful weather will have put off any switherers - as would the ticket prices.