ON the eve of a World Cup assignment which should hold a certain dread, Craig Brown yesterday exuded a composure that bordered on serenity. The Scotland manager's encouraging mien seemed to derive not so much from determination to secure an acceptable result against Sweden in the Ullevi Stadium tonight as a conviction that his team will.

It was almost as if he knew something that everybody else did not. He described himself as "cautiously optimistic", but it was not difficult to form the impression that, of the three possible conclusions to a demanding tie, the last he expects to see is defeat for the Scots.

Remembering the good fortune his team enjoyed in their 1-0 victory when tonight's opponents visited Ibrox last December, Brown's confidence seemed to be almost misplaced. But Scotland followers have long since learned to leave their scepticism behind before an international.

As always, Brown refused to announce the team he will field, but it seems certain to be unchanged from that which beat Austria 2-0 at Celtic Park last month to establish a seven-point lead in Group Four. That will mean Brown playing the same side in consecutive matches for the first time in three years as manager - and tonight's will be his 29th international.

"You can guess from the way the match is shaping that the mid-field area will be crucial. I feel that the outcome could rest on how each matches up to the other in that department and I'm very confident that ours is at least the equal of theirs," said Brown.

Gary McAllister, Paul Lambert and John Collins will be the trio combating the likely Swedish three of Jonas Thern, Par Zetterberg and Stefan Schwarz. Brown has spoken at length of his admiration for Thern, but it seems clear that he regards the other two as vulnerable.

He is unlikely to designate a strict marker for Thern - "everything of significance they do is done through him" leaving that to the Scot closest to him when the Roma player receives the ball.

Brown's suspicion that Sweden would play three forwards Andreas Andersson joining the prolific Martin Dahlin and Kennet Andersson was slightly modified when his own intelligence sources informed him that Andersson is nursing a foot injury.

"I really hope and think we can come away with another clean sheet," said Brown of a team who have yet to concede a goal after six qualifying matches.