SUPER Sundays have become a thing of the past for Middlesbrough.

And, unsurprisingly, manager Steve McClaren wants to find the cure for the Sabbath syndrome that has been plaguing his team ahead of tomorrow's trip to Aston Villa.

Boro returned from Greece last night buoyed by the goalless draw with Skoda Xanthi which secured their place in the group stage of the UEFA Cup for the second successive year.

But, having failed to win any of the eight Sunday matches which followed Thursday games last season, McClaren hopes his side are better equipped to deal with a double push on the domestic and European fronts.

Boro travel to Aston Villa tomorrow knowing their last trip to Villa Park was the only occasion they managed to claim all three points on the back of a European night - and that was on a Saturday.

Regardless of the day, McClaren is looking for a similar outcome this time around as he looks for his squad to make strides towards the top six after last week's disappointing defeat to Sunderland.

"We hope history repeats itself and we go there with confidence after Thursday night's result in Greece," said McClaren, aware that the supporters are not entirely happy with the start the club have made to the campaign.

"It's true we have not done well in games after other European nights. Call it the Sunday syndrome if you like, it sounds like a disease and I just hope it's not contagious. We are going to have to start playing on a Saturday or a Monday if it continues.

"We have adapted to the European game and now we have to ensure our league form does not suffer because of our UEFA Cup run.

"We generally tend to play better when we need to get a result and the players all like the European adventure. The games come thick and fast and, now that we have got through to the group stages, they will keep coming. Our season is going to be packed and full of stories again, that's for sure."

McClaren was not surprised by the way his team reacted in a positive fashion to last weekend's frustrating defeat to Sunderland at the Riverside Stadium, but he does not want the good work to be undone tomorrow.

Already this season Boro have done well to forget about disappointing defeats and pull a good result out from somewhere in their next outing.

And, having successfully repeated the feat against Xanthi on Thursday night, he wants that to be the start of a good run of form, including picking up a victory at Villa Park tomorrow.

"I know we need to become more consistent but what I also know about this squad is that we always bounce back," he said. "We will always get good results and bad results but what's clear about this squad is when they do have a bad result they come straight back.

"We have already done it on three separate occasions in the first two months of this season. We did it after losing to Charlton, we did it after losing to Tottenham and have done it after losing to Sunderland. That has got to put the confidence back in us for Villa."

Boro, occupants of a mid-table position after their irregular start, can call on striker Mark Viduka and Brazilian Fabio Rochemback again tomorrow.

Viduka did not travel to Greece with a thigh niggle and was rested, while Rochemback's ineligibility meant he could not play in the UEFA Cup.

The return of Viduka, in particular, means McClaren will have another difficult decision to make when picking his forward line.

Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink and Massimo Maccarone started in Xanthi and £7.5m buy Aiyegbeni Yakubu came on as a substitute.

McClaren must decide who to leave out tomorrow, believing it is only a matter of time before Hasselbaink starts to score again.

"Jimmy was our top scorer last season," he said. "We don't just need him for his goals, we need his leadership. He gives us that on the field every time he plays. He uses his experience and at times when we need him the most he doesn't let us down."

Boro are likely to stick with the same backline tomorrow, meaning Chris Riggott will continue to play alongside Gareth Southgate at the back after the pair helped keep a clean sheet on Thursday.

And with Abel Xavier and Emanuel Pogatetz operating the full-back roles, McClaren insists he has found the right mix at the back.

"We bought Riggott a few years ago to learn from Ugo and Gareth and he has done that," said McClaren, who will give a late fitness test to Franck Queudrue after the Frenchman suffered a knock to his knee on Thursday.

"The last few months have been frustrating for Chris but he showed on Thursday just what a vital and good player he can be. He is one for the future, as is Emanuel Pogatetz.

"There was a good blend of youth and experience and that looks good for us."

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