STEVE McCLAREN has drawn on knowledge of friends in an attempt to pick up the point in Villarreal that will secure Middlesbrough's progress into the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup.

And the Boro boss is believed to be considering the possibility of gambling on resting both his star strikers, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Mark Viduka, in favour of drafting Joseph Job in as a lone front-man.

McClaren has spoken at length this season about trying to keep all his men fresh for Middlesbrough's push in Europe, the Premiership and the FA Cup.

The innovative thinking of the Riverside manager has led to him discussing Villarreal's strengths and weaknesses at length with former Valencia boss Rafael Benitez, now in charge at Anfield, and injured midfielder Gaizka Mendieta.

Benitez and McClaren, who know each other from the latter's days at Manchester United, spoke after Saturday's league encounter on Teesside, when Middlesbrough extended their good run to just one defeat in 12 matches.

And both the Reds' Spanish boss and ex-Barcelona and Valencia midfielder Mendieta have warned McClaren that his side face their toughest encounter of their maiden European campaign thus far.

Villarreal, who can call upon the attacking spark of exciting Spanish forward Jose Mari and Argentine playmaker Jose Roman Riquelme, suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday against Deportivo La Coruna.

That 2-0 reversal at the El Madrigal dropped Villarreal into the bottom third of the table, although the goals scored at the weekend were the first the Castallon club had conceded in over nine hours of football on home soil.

McClaren said: "Rafael knows Villarreal and Spanish football very, very well and I was interested to hear what he had to say. He said it would be a very difficult game. We have also watched plenty of videos of them.

"Villarreal are the home side and have a good record. They have kept ten clean sheets already from 11 home games, so they are tight at the back but strong going forward. It will be a very European-type game - one of patience and probably one in which a goal will separate the two sides.

"We know this is our most difficult game. But it's an exciting one and this is why we are here."

Villarreal's record in the UEFA Cup boasts a semi-final place last year, when they lost to coastal neighbours Valencia. But they only claimed a place in the Primera Liga in 1998 after 75 years of existing as a lower league club.

McClaren believes his side are now in a position to make just as big an impact on the European scene, having earned their first passage into the competition by lifting the Carling Cup in February.

"We have taken to Europe very well and we are doing well in the Premier League. The lads are buoyant and looking forward to playing," said McClaren, who has Michael Reiziger back in his squad for tonight's game after being out with a shoulder problem since the second game of the season.

"We want to maintain our good start and if we do that we will be through to the next stage, and that's our goal.

"We are not looking beyond that. We need to make sure we get the point to get us into the last 32."

A strong squad made the trip to the Costa Azahar and, with a final group game against Partizan Belgrade on December 15 still to come, McClaren claims he has to have one eye on Sunday's domestic trip to Tottenham. With that in mind he believes he has to pick a team that is capable of winning in Spain while not risking too many players.

"We have two or three players with niggles who maybe need time to recover," said McClaren.

Villarreal (probable): Reina; Rodriguez, Arruaburrena, Quique Alvarez, Jevi Venta, Josica; Riquelme, Bottaglia, Guayie, Jose Mari, Cazorla.

Middlesbrough (probable): Schwarzer; McMahon, Southgate, Riggott, Queudrue; Nemeth, Boateng, Parlour, Doriva, Downing; Job.

Read more about Middlesbrough here.