FORMER Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate believes the Riverside Stadium is the ideal place for his England Under-21s to take on Germany in the run up to next summer’s European Under-21 Championships.

The Football Association confirmed yesterday that the Teessiders will host the Young Lions when they take on Germany in a friendly on Monday, March 30.

Southgate’s side have already booked their place at next summer’s tournament in the Czech Republic, as have their opponents, and the match will be their last of the domestic season as he looks to construct his final squad.

The game will present Boro trio Ben Gibson, Patrick Bamford and Jamal Blackman with an opportunity to impress in front of a familiar crowd with all three having been involved in England’s qualifying campaign.

Gibson and Bamford in particular have played a big part in the Teessiders’ impressive performances this season, and Southgate, who spent three years in the hot seat at the Riverside, hopes the buzz around the club will give his squad a boost.

“With Middlesbrough going as well as they are, there is a good feeling up there and I think they are going to be really strong contenders for promotion,” the former England international said.

“Aitor [Karanka] is doing a really good job.

“He has been very supportive of what we are doing and really helpful with Ben [Gibson], Patrick [Bamford] and Jamal Blackman as well as boys at other age groups.

“Historically, Middlesbrough have been a great provider of young players for us but that’s continuing now.”

Ahead of their European Championship campaign, Southgate is keen to test his side against the best teams and Horst Hrubesch’s men will tick all of the boxes.

Southgate said: “There is so much history to this fixture but we also know at development level, Germany have really got so much right over the last few years.

“For us it’s a great bench mark and we’ve had some good games against Germany recently at other age groups so we want to keep challenging ourselves.

“We feel that playing top quality opposition will provide a vital learning experience.”

The match will be England’s first trip to the Riverside since February 2012, when Stuart Pearce’s side beat Belgium by 4-0.

In 2000, there was a 6-0 win against Georgia followed by a 5-1 victory against Albania the following year.

August 2004 saw a 3-1 win against Ukraine, while there was a 2-0 result against Azerbaijan in Euro Qualifying for the 2006 Finals, and chairman Steve Gibson admits it is a major coup to bring a national team back to the Riverside again.

He said: “I am sure that the people of Teesside will come out in force to support Gareth Southgate and his players against a strong Germany team in advance of the European Championships next summer.

"Our club and academy have maintained strong links with the England FA junior ranks and at the present time we have 18 players that have represented England at junior levels.

"These include Ben Gibson who has recently been selected for the U21 squad under Gareth Southgate.

"We look forward to an exciting game and great atmosphere when Gareth brings his team to the Riverside in March next year?.”