HE has often bemoaned the propensity of opposing sides to get ten men behind the ball in the Championship - so Tony Mowbray is relishing today's trip to Brighton and Hove Albion who are cut from the same cloth as his Middlesbrough team.

Gus Poyet's Albion, currently fifth in the Championship, have built a brand of attacking football with plenty of flair, with last season's fixture an entertaining encounter on the South Coast.

This season's renewal comes at a time where Albion have strengthened - adding Wayne Bridge and Swansea midfielder Orlandi to their ranks, and Mowbray expects Poyet to play just as they did when they drew 1-1 at the Amex in March.

"That's the way Gus plays," said Mowbray. "They won reasonably comfortably to Sheffield Wednesday at home yet they lost to Birmingham 1-0, and just been beaten 5-0 by Barnsley, that's the league for you.

"I'm sure that's how they'll play on Saturday, they'll spread it out, they'll pass, and we'll try to impose our own style on them as well. I'm sure it'll be a good football match.

"They have their obvious threats, some very good players. We have to try and nullify that, and try to get our good players to hurt them going the other way. It'll be an open game.

"They've added a few players since last year. Stephen Dobbie, Lee Croft, Orlandi from Swansea, they've changed both full-backs who play like wingers. They're a high-energy enterprising team.

"They have some good footballers and we're going to have to be at our very best to get anything."

Boro have recruited more players than they have shed over the summer, ensuring that the line-up today will be much-changed from the 11 that strode out at the Amex seven months ago, but Mowbray is confident that his side can hold their own against Poyet's team.

He said: "It's a different team. I'd have to say that some of the areas of the pitch might have been stronger, yet some areas we're stronger this year.

"It's a different team with different personnel. I watched the game from last season, Barry Robson had an exceptionally good game, Julio Arca had a good game, Richie Smallwood played well, it was a different team though.

"We have the personnel to go there and give a similar type of performance, one where we can compete with a team who have a certain brand of football. We can cause them problems."

Mowbray has used the fortnight-long international break to prepare for today's trip to Sussex, and he knows the threat that Albion can bring - and their weaknesses.

I"t appears to me that they've started fantastically, they were top by three or four points, and seemed to be the only team with consistency, yet they've struggled to win in their last three or four games," said Mowbray.

"I've had two weeks to study them. It's good for me, it feels like the first game of the season. You get a full two weeks' preparation. One or two players have been away but you can generally get the team ready. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

"They're a very good side, you can see why they are top of the table, they've got some really good players. They play a very expansive passing game, if you're not organised they'll give you a very tough game."

Mowbray admitted he was an admirer of Poyet's, who was equally as effusive of Boro when the sides last met, but explained that while Poyet is consistent with his tactics, Mowbray is the type to chop and change in order to gain a result.

He said: "Gus is a good man. He's always got a smile on his face. He loves talking about the game, he's very enthusiastic about football.

"He's Uruguayan, South American football has played a massive influence on his footballing philosophy. He plays expansive, technical football, he likes technical football as I do, and yet he plays a set system every week, he plays the same way - I mix and match, I set my teams up to cause problems to different teams.

"There's a difference in philosophies in how we select our teams, but the culture is similar."