Leigh Griffiths has told Gordon Strachan that he is ready and willing to answer the call of international duty at Hampden tonight.

Scotland take on second-placed Poland in a game they cannot afford to lose if they are to maintain their slim hopes of making it to a play-off position for next summer’s European Championships.

Griffiths was recalled to the international fray by Strachan after a two-year absence for last month’s double header against Georgia and Germany, but did not get off the bench.

The striker has netted 12 goals so far this season for Celtic and he believes that he has reached a stage where he is ready to replicate that club form for his country. Whether or not the chance is offered to him to do so remains to be seen.

Griffiths has yet to score for Scotland at first-team level but he is confident that the time has come for him to make the step up.

“That is the next step up for me now,” said the 25-year-old. “I have scored in Champions League qualifiers, in the Europa League and in the domestic league but the next challenge for me is to do it on the international stage.

“It is not easy because there are a lot of good players in there fighting for that jersey but that is where I have set my sights. I know that Gordon was at the game against Fenerbahce last week and hopefully he saw some things that he liked.”

In many ways, Griffiths is entitled to feel frustrated that while he has consistently produced goals since the turn of the year the jury remains out on him at the highest level.

Nadir Ciftci was bought in the summer with the idea that he would take over the mantle of Celtic’s main European striker. It has not transpired that while largely due to the Turks lack of goals coupled with the fact that Griffiths potency makes him too difficult to ignore.

Certainly, the striker is confident that he can continue to hit the back of the net if he is selected, either for club or country.

And while the questions over whether or not he is capable of performing at the highest level remain out there, the player himself harbours no such reticence about his ability to score, regardless of the stage.

“I think I answered my critics last year when I ended up the club’s top scorer despite not playing for nearly six months of the season,” said Griffiths. “I managed to get my hands on the number 9 jersey at the start of the season and I have been pretty satisfied that I have shown I can be trusted in that position.

“We are only a couple of months into the season so it is the bigger picture I want to think about. I want to keep it going in the long run and make sure that I am still in there among the goals when we get to the business end of the season.

“The thing that I have learned at Celtic is that you are never able to relax, really. You always seem to have it all to prove. The minute one game or one challenge is done with you are straight onto the next one and if you want to stay in the team you need to get your head around that. It is not what you do in one game or another but what you are doing every time you walk onto a training pitch or out on a Saturday.

“Celtic will always have players wanting to play and it is the same with Scotland. There is a queue and you have to show that you are worth that place at the front of it. The only way to do that is by doing the business on a consistent basis.”

The player himself also believes that his own game has improved immeasurably over the course of the last ten months.

Having had to work hard to prove himself to Ronny Deila, the striker has firmly established himself as first-choice striker and he credits the Hoops boss as bringing out the best in him.

“I am doing a lot of running,” he said. “I sleep after games, that’s for sure.

“I don’t know that I still have something to prove but I do want to maintain my form. The gaffer told me what I had to do to get into his team and I went away and I done it. He was good to his word – he gave me my chance and hopefully I have shown a willingness to take on board the pointers he gave me.

“I had to work harder when we didn’t have the ball and I think I have adapted that into my game now.”

Hoops captain Scott Brown will skipper the national side tomorrow night and Griffiths believes the midfielder is capable of overseeing what would be a hugely significant result for Scotland.

Brown had an indifferent start to the campaign as he toiled with a hamstring injury but he performed well against Fenerbahce last week and Griffiths has insisted that the player’s influence is considerable every time he takes to the field.

“He is a super captain,” said the striker. “He demands full effort from everyone round about him and I think he leads by example.

“We will have a great crowd behind us at Hampden tomorrow night and hopefully if we get our tails up we can make sure they keep that noise up.

“Guys like Scott are always good at giving the supporters the passion and energy that they want to see.”