The Juventus and World Cup-winning keeper has struggled with a stomach bug but did train on the eve of the encounter with the rest of his team-mates at the San Nicola Stadium.

"Buffon has trained well today," said Donadoni. "He hasn't been at his best in the past few days but I'm hoping that his condition will improve overnight and that he will be available to play tomorrow tonight.

"Buffon knows the importance of this game, he wanted to train and I'm sure he will want to play tomorrow."

Buffon and Co realise the significance of the encounter with the Azzurri trailing five points behind Group B leaders Scotland, after only two wins in four qualifying games.

However, Donadoni believes their hunger to win should not give his players room for anxiety early in the game.

"We must use our heads," he said. "We will make a big mistake to be in a hurry to score, this would only be a counter-productive for us. We must remember that a game lasts 90 minutes.

"Of course, our aim is to win this game but this is not the game of our lives.

"For us it's crucial to get a result against Scotland, that is what we have been working for this week.

"We know we will face challenges against them but we will try to make life difficult for them too."

Having watched Alex McLeish's side claim a late win against Georgia at the weekend, Donadoni believes Scotland's main strength is the team's fighting spirit.

"They fought for a win until the end against Georgia," he said. "They showed a lot of character and it's no surprise that they currently have 12 points in the standings.

"The standing speaks for itself, I'm not surprised that Scotland are in the top spot in the group, they deserve to be in that position.

"We knew our group was going to be very balanced and that has been the case so far."

Donadoni will have captain Fabio Cannavaro available despite the Real Madrid defender having sustained a minor injury after an accidental elbow during Tuesday's training.