Middlesbrough ready for repeat result

Middlesbrough FC are looking to replicate their results from 2004/05 as they welcome FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk to the Riverside stadium in the second round of matches in UEFA Cup Group D on Thursday night.

Winning beginning
Steve McClaren's team began their campaign a year ago with a 1-0 win at Egaleo FC before defeating S.S. Lazio 2-0 at home on Matchday 2. The Premiership outfit kicked off in identical fashion this season, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's early strike earning a single-goal victory in Zurich against Grasshopper-Club and the Teesside team will be confident of collecting three more points on Thursday having overwhelmed Manchester United FC 4-1 on Saturday evening.

Devastating display
"We're delighted with the weekend result and the performance; the first half was the best we've played since I've been here," said McClaren, who is still without first-choice centre-backs Gareth Southgate (groin) and Ugo Ehiogu (knee), although Southgate's injury is healing much faster than originally anticipated and the Middlesbrough captain now hopes to return to action in mid-November.

'Blend and balance'
"We need to follow up Saturday's win," the Middlesbrough manager insisted. "We seem to have hit on a blend and balance that suits everybody and we've got to keep that going. Qualifying is obviously the main aim, we feel seven points will do it so we need something against Dnipro. They're a good team, defend very well and counterattack quickly so it'll be a dangerous match, especially as we're at home and have to take the game to them."

Contrasting fortunes
Dnipro travel to Teesside without striker Kostyantyn Balabanov and defender Olexandr Grytsay; the latter is injured, while the former is lacking match fitness after injury. Coach Vadim Tishenko should be able to count on midfield pair Serhiy Nazarenko and Konstyantyn Kravchenko, however, as both have shaken off minor complaints and look set to feature at the Riverside.

'Very tough game'
"Middlesbrough made a good impression, having won and scored four goals against a club like Machester United," said Tishenko. "I was certainly impressed. However, [former head coach and current Dnipro sports director] Evgen Kucherevskiy was trying to console me, and said that perhaps this United team is not as strong as they have been in the past. But of course I realise that this is going to be a very tough game for us."