STEVE McCLAREN last night insisted Middlesbrough have the experience required to do well in their first UEFA Cup adventure after being paired with Czech Republic champions Banik Ostrava in the opening round.
The testing trip to the former eastern European country was announced shortly before North-East neighbours Newcastle United were handed one of the most daunting ties in European football - a date with Israel-Arab side Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin.
Both Premiership clubs will play on home soil on September 16 before aiming to ensure progress to the group stage in the return leg 14 days later.
It is a difficult first assignment in European football for Boro and Banik, who won their league by five points, are only in the competition having lost a Champions League qualifier to Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.
Despite earning a 2-1 victory in midweek, the damage had already been done in the first leg when Leverkusen cruised to a 5-0 success.
But, regardless of the potential Banik possess, McClaren is convinced his side can overcome the first hurdle and book a place in the second phase that kicks-off in October.
Summer signings Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Mark Viduka, Bolo Zenden, Ray Parlour and Michael Reiziger have all tasted Champions League football.
And McClaren said: "We brought men in in the summer who have experienced European football. It's a must that we do well in this competition. Doing well means we have to get through to the group stages and then take it further from there.
"We are going to somewhere we don't know much about but these players are used to it. We are just locating the Czech Republic on the map at the moment. They are the Czech champions and they are going to be a good team.
"It will be a fantastic experience for this club. Concentration will be vital and we will have to make sure we are not caught on the break."
Banik boast Liverpool's Milan Baros and ex-Newcastle keeper Pavel Srnicek among their former players, while Euro 2004 star Marek Heinz was the club's top-scorer last season.
Newcastle boss Sir Bobby Robson admitted the Magpies will be taking a journey into the unknown when they travel to troubled Israel for their UEFA Cup opener.
Sakhnin, despite being the poorest wage payers in their league, have made it into European competition for the first time after a 4-1 State Cup final victory over Hapoel Haifa in May.
Team manager Eyal Lachman coaches a team led by skipper Abas Suan which is made up of both Arabs and Jews and also includes Cameroon-born Ernest Etchi and Brazilian Gabriel Lima in their ranks.
After the first leg at St James' Park in the middle of next month, Newcastle must travel to the middle-east where they will have to play at the National Stadium in Tel Aviv - as Sakhnin do not have a suitable ground to host games.
And Newcastle boss Robson said: "It's a ground-breaking draw for us as we have never played in Israel before. We will treat them with respect, as we do all our opponents. We know very little about them at this stage, and expect they know a great deal more about us due to the popularity of the Premiership on television around Europe.
"That said, we will scout them thoroughly, take no chances, and be fully prepared for the first leg next month."
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