BEN CHRISTENSEN believes Sunderland head to the Riverside Stadium as underdogs in their fourth round FA Youth Cup clash against holders Middlesbrough, despite recording a comprehensive victory against them earlier last month.

The Black Cats ran out 4-0 winners when both sides met in the league at Hurworth in December, but the scoreline didn't paint a true picture of the game.

The Sunderland youth team skipper, whose side are second to Boro's seventh in the FA Academy League under 18 Group D, admitted the game was anything but easy.

"They missed a penalty early on, when (goalkeeper) Trevor Carson made a brilliant save, and that could have changed the game," said the 18-year-old defender.

"We played well towards the end of the first half and in the second half. I think they will probably have a different team out on tonight as they had a couple of young lads playing that day. But it will be interesting to see what sort of team they field in comparison to that one.

"Obviously they won the competition last year and they'll be trying to retain it. With us going down there (to the Riverside), if anything, we will be the slight underdogs."

The Wearsiders came through a tricky third round tie against Leicester 2-0, to win the right to face the current cup holders. But if the Black Cats are to make any further progress in the competition the former Whitley Bay High schoolboy believes they will have to stop their returning big guns.

"Most of the Boro team have had experience of winning the cup and I suppose they'll be pretty confident," added the former product of Wallsend Boys Club and Cramlington Juniors.

"There were two or three missing, who every week for the reserves, so I expect them to be in the side. Matthew Bates has played for the first team and David Wheater has been on the fringes, so I expect them to be involved. They are definitely two to watch."

Christensen has appeared five times for the reserves himself, this season and says he is a better player for the experience.

The game against Liverpool's second XI is one match that sands out.

He said: "Neil Mellor, Flourent Sinama Pongolle and most of the team who played against Burnley in the FA Cup on Tuesday played in the game. It was a good experience for me to play against players like that."

Christensen, who is studying sports science as part of his two year scholarship for the club, wouldn't divulge which players the Teessiders should watch out for fear of giving his derby rivals an advantage.

As for aspirations of winning the competition, the Tyneside-born teenager spoke like a veteran.

"We'll be taking one game at a time before we think about winning the whole competition," he quipped.

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