IN that paradoxical style of his when, in the same sentence, he can

sound like a fan of the opposition and a man convinced his own team will

win, Scotland coach Andy Roxburgh yesterday introduced his 16-man squad

for the next stage of his team's attempt to qualify for the 1994 World

Cup finals, the game against Italy at Ibrox a week on Wednesday, writes

Ian Paul.

A genuine admirer of the methods of Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi, the

man who has led the attacking revolution in a country where catenaccio

once reigned, Roxburgh none the less refuses to accept that they cannot

be beaten when they make their visit to Glasgow next week.

''Of course they are tough opposition,'' he said, ''but they are not

invincible. The only chance we have of winning is by producing our best.

And our preparation has to be right. It is my intention to talk very

little about the Italians to our players because I am more interested in

what we can do on the night.''

Naming a pool of players which was entirely predictable, Roxburgh

revealed his own excited anticipation of the ''glamour'' game of the

qualifying programme when he added: ''It is a career ambition to play

against the Italians. They are the cream of the crop.''

Ironically, that ambition, when realised, could produce a result that

might make it almost impossible for Scotland to continue their

astonishing record of success in qualifying.

The main team news from both camps concerns defenders and does not

enhance Scotland's prospects. On the one hand, Richard Gough, the

Rangers man who has hit a peak of form this year, was confirmed as a

non-starter after having suffered a recurrence of a groin injury in the

game against Celtic. The coach also confirmed news from Italy that

Franco Baresi, that wonderful defensive organiser of AC Milan, will

return to the fold for the game at Ibrox.

''Richard was optimistic but when I spoke to Rangers manager Walter

Smith, he said that the club doctor thought he would be pushed to be fit

in two weeks. I think the optimism was misplaced. It is a big blow.''

Baresi will be one of perhaps half-a-dozen AC Milan players who will

turn out in Scotland. So will Milan's Gianluigi Lentini, who cost #13m

from Torino, and Juventus stars Gianlucca Vialli and Roberto Baggio.

Roxburgh, understandably, enthuses about such names but does not

ignore the fact that the great resurgence in Italy has been led mainly

by foreign imports, and even Sacchi, who has masterminded the Milan

dominance, does not find it easy to reproduce that brilliance in an

all-Italian side at the moment.

The opposition exudes a class and glamour which will entice a full

house to Ibrox next week, but Roxburgh believes that this will spur his

men.

The 16 chosen excludes five players from the squad originally picked

last time out, Jim McInally, Kevin Gallacher, Brian McClair, Alan

McLaren, and Pat Nevin. But the coach insisted that nothing significant

should be deduced from that.

''We will have players on stand-by, some of whom I have already spoken

to. But, really, every player who is Scottish and fit is on stand-by.

The idea is to focus on our likely 16 for the preparation but until the

midweek games are played we can't really begin to make up our minds

about the actual line-up.''

The absence of Manchester United's Brian McClair, who was booed when

he came on as a substitute for Gallacher in the game against Portugal at

Ibrox, should not, according to the coach be taken as ''sinister''. He

went on: ''Brian is out simply because Gordon Durie is back again and

Brian himself has had a slight loss of confidence. I had a long chat

with him and his manager Alex Ferguson about his situation and there is

nothing sinister about his being left out this time. Brian was excellent

for us in the summer in Sweden and has done well for us before,

especially away from home.''

Like the others left out from last time, apart from the injured

Gallacher, McClair will be on stand-by. But especially as his squad have

already lost a key man in Gough, Roxburgh hopes that all 16 will emerge

from midweek exercise intact. On past form, it is a forlorn hope.

As is his style, Roxburgh is optimistic and willing to accept the

Italian media's view that a draw for both teams would not be a bad

thing. ''But winning would be a real boost for us because losing home

games leaves you an uphill climb. We would rather not be going to places

like Portugal having to win,'' he said.

One player who might have been considered an added asset for the tie,

Duncan Ferguson of Dundee United, is being kept in the Under-21 squad

who face the Italians, European champions at this level, for the game at

Fir Park in the afternoon.

Ferguson, if he has recovered from the injury which kept him out of

the United side against St Johnstone on Saturday, would be an ideal

front-line foil for Aberdeen's Scott Booth, according to manager Craig

Brown. ''They have never played as a double up front,'' he said, ''but

they are a potentially exciting partnership.''

Brown insisted that Ferguson has been very ''responsive'' since his

first call-up to the Under-21s, for a friendly at Perth, where he was

sent back to Tannadice for wearing bicycle shorts in defiance of the

coach's directions.

Meanwhile, four injured men, including Borussia Dortmund striker

Stephane Chapuisat, who played a big part in Celtic's UEFA Cup defeat

last week, were released yesterday from the Swiss training camp for next

week's qualifier against Malta.

The squads

SCOTLAND

Goalkeepers -- Goram (Rangers), Smith (Hearts).

Defenders -- Boyd (Celtic), Levein (Hearts), Malpas (Dundee United),

McPherson (Rangers), Whyte (Middlesbrough).

Midfielders -- Collins (Celtic), Durrant (Rangers), Ferguson

(Rangers), McAllister (Leeds), McCall (Rangers), McStay (Celtic).

Forwards -- Durie (Tottenham), McCoist (Rangers), Robertson (Hearts).

ITALY

Marchegiani, Pagliuca; Dino Baggio, Baresi, Costacurta, Maldini, Di

Chiara, Lanna, Mannini; Bianchi, Corini, Albertini, Donadoni, Eranio,

Lentini; Roberto Baggio, Vialli, Mancini, Signori.

SCOTLAND UNDER-21s

Reid (Hibernian), Howie (Clyde), Burley (Chelsea), Wright

(Aberdeen), Salton (Luton), Bain (Dundee), McAuley (St Johnstone),

Bernard (Oldham), Bollan (Dundee United), Darren Ferguson (Manchester

United), Hendry (Clydebank), O'Neil (Celtic), McLaren (Dundee United),

Duncan Ferguson (Dundee United), Booth (Aberdeen), Dailly (Dundee

United).