Seville promise no easy game for Boro

Middlesbrough can forget about coming from 3-0 down to beat Sevilla in the UEFA Cup final.

With all due respect to Basle and Steaua Bucharest, the Spanish side are far too canny to suffer a bout of overconfidence or an attack of nerves should they find themselves in that position in Eindhoven next week.

In fact, Boro simply cannot afford to give Juande Ramos' counter-attacking team any sort of lead if their sensational quarter-final and semi-final comebacks are to be capped by their first piece of European silverware.

The Andalucian outfit boast one of the meanest defences in Spain's Primera Liga and, unlike their opponents, look to be on course for a place in next season's competition regardless of the outcome of the final.

Ramos has done a remarkable job picking up the pieces following Joaquin Caparros' defection to Deportivo La Coruna in the summer and the sale of star players Julio Baptista and Sergio Ramos to Real Madrid.

These losses had many fans bracing themselves for a demoralising centenary year but, like Boro, they could barely contain their excitement after becoming the first Andalucian side to reach a European final.

The jubilation was emphasised by club president Jose Maria Del Nido, who broke the habit of a lifetime when substitute Antonio Puerta netted the extra-time winner in their semi-final with bookies' favourites Schalke.

"In my years as president I have never celebrated a goal but this time I jumped with joy," he said.

Such scenes of jubilation had much in common with those at the Riverside following Boro's semi-final win over Steaua as both sides made up for their disappointing last-16 exits of 2005.

But that really is where the similarities end between the journeys the teams have taken towards the final.

While Boro's passage has been full of almost unprecedented drama, Sevilla's progress has been relatively serene and, worryingly for Steve McClaren's men, in arguably the tougher half of the draw.