David Weir today backed Rangers team-mate Kenny Miller to carry his blistering domestic form into the international arena when Scotland face Lithuania on Friday night.

The Ibrox striker has found the net five times in three outings so far this season for the champions, including a hat-trick against Hibs at Easter Road.

Miller, along with Weir, are part of a large Rangers presence in Craig Levein’s squad for the start of their European Championship qualifying section and the defender believes familiarity could breed success for Scotland.

The 40-year-old has been recalled after missing the 3-0 friendly defeat in Sweden and the veteran stopper is well aware of Miller’s importance ahead of the crunch double-header against Lithuania and Liechtenstein.

“Kenny is very important, he is a proven goalscorer and he has done it for years for Scotland,” Weir said. “He has scored a lot of goals and contributed a lot.

“When you see how well he has started the season for Rangers, he is in top form and when Kenny Miller is in top form, he is a handful.

“In any team if you are involved with people you know and have played with it can help.

“There is a core of Rangers players involved in the squad and that is great but there are a lot of good players from other clubs as well.

“I don’t think anyone is guaranteed a place to start so there will be a lot of lads jostling for those positions.”

Weir has been in and out of the Scotland squad in recent years under George Burley and now Levein.

His age has been one of the reasons cited for his omission from squads, but the Rangers captain insists he holds no grudges about being overlooked.

He said: “You can’t change it, it is not your decision. So I just try and be positive about it and play as well as I can for my club and if you do that then you have a better chance of being selected for your national team.

“That is the way I look at it, I don’t look at it as a snub or anything like that. Different people have different opinions at different times.”

Scotland’s defeat to Holland at Hampden last year, which ended their chances of securing a place at the World Cup in South Africa, was expected to be Weir’s last game for his country.

However, his form for Rangers, for whom he was an ever-present and captained them to the SPL title last season, has earned him a recall.

And he is confident the Scots have the quality to book their place in Poland and Ukraine in two years’ time.

Weir said: “I think, first and foremost, you have got to try and play well and, allied to that, you have got to get a few breaks. If you combine those two things, it will go a long way.

“We have had successful campaigns in the past and been close recently to qualifying so hopefully we can take that next step and get back involved in a major championships because that is where we want to be.

“You only have to look at the names on the teamsheet and the level they are playing at to realise there is enough quality. It is just a matter of producing it on a regular basis.”

Weir will become the oldest player to represent Scotland if, as expected, he starts the clash in Lithuania. But he admits he will not revel in the honour of being Scotland’s oldest cap while there is still work to be done.

“To be honest, it doesn’t change anything,” Weir said. “I enjoy playing in the games and being involved in the games. “Maybe one day when I sit down, I’ll get a bit of satisfaction from it.

“But, at moment, I don’t think of myself as a 40-year-old, I just think of myself as one of the other players. The game on Friday is what all our attention is on and I’m just trying to focus on that rather than worrying about how old I am.

“I’m just glad to be back. I’m looking forward to the game, it’s a big game, it’s a qualifier for the European Champion-ships, and it’s really nice to be involved at this level.”