Middlesbrough's future stars set for unique test as they host French giants at the Riverside
Middlesbrough Under-21 boss Mark Tinkler is excited to see how his players fare as they face a unique challenge in French giants Lyon at the Riverside on Wednesday evening.
Their first game of the Premier League International Cup - which they qualified for due to finishing in the top-12 of last season's U21s league competition - Tinkler believes it can prove to be a valuable learning experience for a number of young stars who will be hoping to break into the Boro first-team in the years ahead.
“We’re really excited for it," Tinkler said. "The lads did so well to finish in the top-12 and qualify for it last season and now we’re excited to get going in a new competition for us. It’s a great opportunity for the players. When we won the league with the 18s and qualified for the UEFA Youth League [in 2015] we had some great games with Stade de Reims, Turino, Dynamo Kyiv and PSG.
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"As coaches, we loved playing against these teams and putting a team out to try and perform against them. Obviously the level at under-21s is different, but we’re really looking forward to it."
As well as the unique experience of playing against an opponent with a different style to what Boro's U21s will be used to, the game is being played at the Riverside, offering the players a chance to get more experience playing in such a big stadium, with most U21 home games played at Bishop Auckland's Heritage Park.
Tinkler continued: “It’s great to be playing at the Riverside. I went to watch Sunderland play Athletic Bilbao a couple of weeks ago and they had a few fans in, which was great for their young players. If we can get as many fans as possible down to the Riverside, it’ll be a great experience for the young lads.
"Playing against Lyon, who will be a very good team, an opposition that we wouldn’t usually play against, it will hopefully be a very good game on the night. It should be good experience for the lads on the night."
Marcus Forss is expected to line-up again for Tinkler's side having played 60 minutes in Friday's 4-1 victory over Aston Villa. Dael Fry could also feature, though a late decision was to be made on that. There are also academy players with serious first-team aspirations who will be in action too, such as Harley Hunt, George McCormick and Law McCabe.
“It’s all about development of young players," Tinkler concluded. "This season our 21s group is pretty young - but that’s great for the young lads because at 17/18 they’re playing against older lads and competing well. Winning games breeds confidence, and hopefully we can continue our recent run."
The game against Lyon kicks off at 7pm at the Riverside. Entry is free for season-card holders or otherwise £3, with fans being encouraged to go along and support the next generation of Boro stars.