BOLO ZENDEN believes Middlesbrough's extended run in the UEFA Cup has kept his World Cup hopes alive.

Having earned 53 caps for Holland and played in the European Championships in the summer, his fourth major tournament had looked on the cards in Germany next summer.

However, since Dutch legend Marco van Basten took over the reins, Zenden has been overlooked for internationals with Macedonia, Finland and Andorra.

But Middlesbrough's impressive qualification from Group E in the UEFA Cup on Wednesday night has ensured the midfielder can continue to showcase his talents on the European stage.

Boro were paired with AK Grazer in the third round of the competition yesterday and hopes are high that the two-legged knock-out tie will not be the club's last.

Zenden said: "What is important to me is that I play well for Middlesbrough. Things are going well here and I can't influence whether the manager (Van Basten) is going to pick me.

"But I'm only 28, I'm not 35, so the next World Cup in Germany would be nice and I would still love to play in it. I will only be 29 when that comes around so I'd love to go.

"At Middlesbrough we have to take things step by step but it's nice to know we will still be in the UEFA Cup. Playing at that level helps to keep eyes on us and that can only help our international chances."

Having overcome two of the competition's more fancied teams in Villarreal and Partizan Belgrade, Middlesbrough can go into the third-round fixture with Austrian champions Grazer full of confidence.

The Teessiders' heroics on their first European adventure have raised expectations at the Riverside Stadium, as has the club's rise to fifth in the Premiership table.

But Zenden, who will be in the Middlesbrough side that faces seventh-placed Aston Villa this afternoon, is refusing to talk up Steve McClaren's side's chances of success. Instead the former Chelsea star insists he is treating progress with caution, despite an impressive start to the 2004-05 campaign on both the European and domestic fronts.

"We said we wanted to get into the group stage and we did that. We then wanted to finish first in the group and we have done that," said Zenden.

"It's nice to know we have avoided the Champions League teams that have come into the draw but I want to play them all anyway. If we want to go far in this tournament and get to the final then we have to win every single game.

"It's only the last 32 so there is a long way to go.

Reflecting on the midweek victory over Partizan, a success that clinched top spot in the group, Zenden said: "We did a great job against Partizan. We may have made a few changes but we still won quite comfortably against a very good team.

"In Europe it's a bit different because the teams try to create an extra man in midfield. But we have shown we can adapt."

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