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MIDDLESBROUGH v MANCHESTER UNITED - SOUTHGATE WANTS CROWD-PLEASERS
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has challenged his players to serve up another cup extravaganza to win back wavering supporters.
Boro welcome runaway Barclays Premiership leaders Manchester United to the Riverside Stadium this evening with an FA Cup semi-final place up for grabs.
For the first time since last season's remarkable UEFA Cup semi-final, which saw Boro stage a remarkable fightback to snatch a 4-3 aggregate victory over Steaua Bucharest, the Riverside is sold out, and Southgate is determined to provide the returning fans with the football they crave.
He said: "It is an important day for the club. We have made a lot of progress as a club over the last couple of months.
"But the pleasing thing for me is we have got a full house, and that shows the club is playing its part in terms of the ticket pricing and trying to encourage people back to the ground.
"Secondly, it shows the fans are responding to the type of football we want to play.
"There is no point getting them there and then failing to deliver, so we want to go to the next stage."
Boro boast five victories over United in their last twelve encounters, and trounced them 4-1 at the Riverside in the Barclays Premiership last season.
United got their revenge with a 2-1 win on Teesside back in December, but having seen his side fight through three replays already to reach the last eight, Southgate is not about to give up on his dream.
He said: "The cup gives you something special to look forward to during the season.
"If we had not got through in the earlier rounds, we would not have had what is a fantastic game tonight to look forward to, so that in itself has kept everybody here bubbling.
"We want it to carry on, we do not want it to end here. We are enjoying the run, we are enjoying being in this competition.
"The prize for each win at this stage is huge in terms of going into more high-profile matches that really capture the imagination."
Boro are close to full strength after Julio Arca and Lee Cattermole were declared fit, whereas United are short of strikers through injury and also have goalscoring midfielder Paul Scholes suspended.
However, Sir Alex Ferguson has Henrik Larsson at his disposal for the final time before the end of his loan spell, and having seen the Swede contribute important goals already this season, Southgate knows he will be a major threat.
He said: "People questioned when he was at Celtic whether he could come down and have the same sort of impact, but he has shown in that brief time that he would have done.
"It was a very astute signing at the time, and he has played a big part in their progress in recent months."
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