Southgate eyes Chelsea scalp

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is confident his side remain capable of beating anyone as they prepare for tonight's showdown with champions Chelsea.

The 35-year-old’s first home league match as manager may also be Middlesbrough’s toughest Riverside Stadium test all season, and they are desperate to make amends for Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Reading.

The team Southgate inherited from Steve McClaren this summer beat Jose Mourinho’s men, Arsenal and Manchester United at home last season, but finished only 14th.

The former England defender believes they can provide the best with a stern test once again, but is determined to match that quality with consistency.

Asked about last season’s 3-0 win over Chelsea, Southgate said: “It told us about last year’s team, there’s no question about that, because we were capable of beating anybody on our day.

“I still believe that. We have got players who are capable of turning it on and beating the best. What we have got to become is a team which picks up points in matches like last Saturday’s because they are more relevant to where we will finish in the league.”

Southgate saw his side squander a 2-0 lead at Reading on Saturday in their opening Barclays Premiership match of the campaign, but he insists he has not lost any sleep over the reverse.

He said: “There are no grey hairs yet, no. You do not enjoy losing matches and obviously games like Saturday’s are a rollercoaster.

“But I have had enough of those sort of experiences in football to know you are always one win away from everything being fine. I am not going to lose any more sleep than I have this summer.

“We have lost one match and I am somebody who moves on very quickly from disappointments because over the course of a league season, you are going to have many.

“Because of the manner of the defeat and the fact that we played so well at the beginning, I suppose it was harder to take, but any defeat is difficult to accept. But you have to move forward quickly to the next challenge.”

The game comes 20 years to the day Boro were forced to play Port Vale at Hartlepool’s Victoria Ground, with the gates of Ayresome Park locked by the official receiver as they only just avoided going out of business.

They have come a long way since, in the main thanks to the benevolence of chairman Steve Gibson, and Southgate is well aware of the significance of the anniversary.

He said: “When you look at the end of last season and the European (UEFA Cup) final, 20 years on from that day, it tells you so much about what has been achieved at this club by the chairman and the people behind the scenes.

“It’s nice to mark that game with a match against the champions, and it’s a great opportunity for us to start a new chapter in the club’s history.”