Middlesbrough FC v FC Steaua Bucuresti PRESS KIT Riverside, Middlesbrough Thursday, 27 April 2006 - 20:02 local time Semi-finals - Matchday 15 Middlesbrough FC will be seeking a hat-trick, of sorts, when they attempt to overcome a 1-0 deficit against FC Steaua Bucuresti at the Riverside stadium in the second installment of their UEFA Cup semi-final tie. Steve McClaren's men also lost away games in the previous two knockout rounds, but prevailed by virtue of some imperious home form, most memorably in the quarter-finals when Massimo Maccarone completed a stunning comeback in the last minute against FC Basel 1893. •Nicolae Dica scored the only goal of the first leg at the Lia Manoliu stadium with a fine strike on the half-hour mark as the 1986 European champions maintained their unbeaten home record against English opposition. Cosmin Olaroiu's team could have gone on to win by more but missed a host of opportunities and, with Sorin Paraschiv and Banel Nicolita now suspended for the second match after picking up bookings, the tie hangs in the balance. •Middlesbrough are formidable opponents on Teeside, and their home form has been key to their progress so far. A solitary Yakubu Ayegbeni goal saw the north-east outfit edge a 1-0 win against AS Roma at the Riverside, and although Mancini scored twice in the return, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's strike guided Middlesbrough through on the away-goals rule. •Basel were their reward in the last eight and a semi-final berth looked a forlorn hope when Eduardo scored to extend the Swiss team's lead to three goals at the Riverside, after the first leg ended 2-0. It proved the cue for a famous comeback, as goals either side of half-time from Mark Viduka resurrected the home side's hopes. Substitute Hasselbaink made it 3-3 on aggregate with a blistering strike to set up Maccarone's thrilling finale. •Middlesbrough had previously glided through the group stage, topping their section after three wins and a draw. A 2-2 away-goals win against VfB Stuttgart followed, with a 2-1 victory in Germany proving decisive. •Steaua's early progress mirrored that of their semi-final opponents as they finished top of their section after an unbeaten campaign which included comprehensive home wins against RC Lens and Halmstads BK. SC Heerenveen dealt them their first home defeat of the campaign, 1-0, in the second leg of their last-32 tie but Steaua's 3-1 victory in the first encounter in the Netherlands proved insurmountable. •In the next round, Steaua's tie with Real Betis Balompié hung in the balance after a goalless draw in the first encounter. But two stunning strikes from Banel Nicolita helped them to a 3-0 victory in the return in Seville. The southern Spanish city was also the scene of their greatest triumph, when they lifted the 1985/86 European Champion Clubs' Cup. uefa.com 1/21 Middlesbrough FC v FC Steaua Bucuresti PRESS KIT •Nicolita was again on target in the quarter-finals against city rivals AFC Rapid Bucuresti, scoring after just five minutes of the first leg at the Giulesti stadium. Viorel Moldovan's 50th-minute strike earned Rapid a share of the spoils but a goalless draw in the return saw Steaua through. •Still in only their second season of UEFA club competition, Middlesbrough had never before met Romanian opponents, but Steaua can count on the experience of four recent encounters with Premiership opposition. •It started promisingly for the Romanian team, who took a 2-0 lead in their first meeting with Aston Villa FC at home in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup third round, but Dwight Yorke reduced the deficit before the end and Brian Little's team, who included current Middlesbrough defender Ugo Ehiogu in their ranks, prevailed in the return. •Their next two meetings, against West Ham United FC in 1999/00 and Southampton FC four years later, proved more successful as home wins and away draws saw them negotiate the early rounds of the UEFA Cup. The Southampton triumph earned a second-round meeting with Liverpool FC, where their aspirations were ended as Harry Kewell scored the only goal of the return at Anfield after a 1-1 first-leg draw. •While Steaua remain unbeaten on home territory against English opposition, with four wins and one draw, their away results are less impressive, with two draws and two losses. Club facts: Middlesbrough •Middlesbrough FC are making their second consecutive appearance in UEFA competition having advanced to the Round of 16 in last season's UEFA Cup. •Boro made their debut in UEFA competition only last season when overcoming Czech side FC Baník Ostrava 4-1 on aggregate in the first round of the competition to book their place in the group stage. •A confident start left Middlesbrough with six points from their first two outings – a 1-0 victory away to Greek side Egaleo FC thanks to Stewart Downing's 78th-minute goal followed by a 2-0 home success at the expense of S.S. Lazio. On this occasion, Boudewijn Zenden stole the headlines with goals after 16 and 71 minutes. •Though Middlesbrough were defeated 2-0 in their third group engagement away to Villarreal CF, they bounced back and secured their place in the knockout stages with a 3-0 defeat of FK Partizan with goals from Szilárd Németh (10), Joseph-Desiré Job (22) and James Morrison (90). •Austrian side Grazer AK were Middlesbrough's opponents in the Round of 32 with the English side prevailing 4-3 on aggregate. A 2-2 draw in Graz with goals from Dutch duo Zenden (52) and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (66) was followed by a 2-1 victory at home after Graz had taken the lead through Mario Bazina after eight minutes. Middlesbrough responded through Morrison (18) and Hasselbaink (60). uefa.com 2/21 Middlesbrough FC v FC Steaua Bucuresti PRESS KIT •But eventual losing finalists Sporting Clube de Portugal proved an entirely different proposition. The Portuguese side raced into a three-goal lead at the Riverside stadium and though Job and Chris Riggott reduced the deficit late on, Sporting were able to hold on at the Estádio José Alvalade in the return, eventually winning 1-0 thanks to Pedro Barbosa's 89th-minute winner. 2005/06 season •UEFA Cup first round: Middlesbrough finished last season's English Premiership campaign in seventh position, thereby claiming the last qualifying berth for the 2005/06 UEFA Cup. The English side entered the competition at the first round stage, defeating Xanthi FC 2-0 on aggregate with both goals coming in the opening leg at the Riverside stadium from George Boateng (28) and Mark Viduka (83). •UEFA Cup group stage: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's early goal ensured Middlesbrough got their 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage campaign off to a winning start as the English visitors held firm in the face of a determined effort from Grasshopper- Club at the Hardturm stadium. •The English side made it two wins from two as Mark Viduka (50, 56) scored a swift double early in the second half to add to Yakubu Ayegbeni's (36) first-half strike and help Middlesbrough to a 3-0 home win at the expense of FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on Matchday 2. •On Matchday 3, Middlesbrough became the first team to book a place in the UEFA Cup knockout stages after a battling goalless draw against last season's semi-finalists AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands. The English Premiership outfit went into the game knowing that a point would be enough to seal a place in the last 32 after recording victories in their first two fixtures. But they had Australian goalkeeper Brad Jones, deputising for injured compatriot Mark Schwarzer, to thank after the 23-year-old made a series of saves to deny a side that had not failed to score in six previous games at the Alkmaarderhout. •Having sat out Matchday 4, two late goals from Massimo Maccarone (79, 86), including a spectacular long-range effort, secured Middlesbrough a 2-0 victory against PFC Litex Lovech on Matchday 5 and sent the English Premiership side into the Round of 32 as group winners with three wins and a draw from their four matches which included six goals scored and none conceded. •UEFA Cup knockout stage: Middlesbrough advanced to the last 16 by defeating VfB Stuttgart on away goals after the sides shared a 2-2 aggregate draw. The English side won the opening leg 2-1 in Germany with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (20) and Stuart Parnaby (46) on the scoresheet. Danijel Ljuboja (86) would later reduce the deficit for Stuttgart in that match and they then went on to win at the Riverside stadium in the return leg through Christian Tiffert's goal after 13 minutes only to see the English side hold out for an away goals qualification. •Middlesbrough reached the UEFA Cup quarter-finals for the first time after holding on to eliminate AS Roma on away goals, with Hasselbaink's (32) first-half header at the uefa.com 3/21 Middlesbrough FC v FC Steaua Bucuresti PRESS KIT Stadio Olimpico ultimately proving decisive as the sides shared a 2-2 aggregate draw. The English team travelled to Rome with a 1-0 advantage and took a firm grip on the tie in the 32nd minute when Hasselbaink nodded them in front. Mancini (43, 66pen) brought Roma back into the contest before half-time, however, and when the same player levelled the aggregate scores from the penalty spot just past the hour it ensured a tense finale, but the English side prevailed.