UEFA Cup/Round of 32/ second leg/ Middlesbrough v Graz/Riverside Stadium 8.0: The atmosphere on the pitch at the Riverside tonight could well be as icy as the anticipated air temperature. No sooner had Graz AK touched down on Teesside than the Austrian champions' captain Anton Ehmann was labelling Steve McClaren's side "arrogant, defensive and destructive".Riverside Stadium, 8.0

The centre half, who missed two good chances in last week's first leg which finished 2-2, declared: "Middlesbrough set out arrogantly in the first leg; they can't behave this way on the pitch. I expected more from them but they played in a very defensive and destructive way. You would expect a classy team to have attacked us from the word go."

McClaren, who is expected to revert to a 4-4-2 formation after opting for 4-5-1 in Austria, retorted: "Graz are a big strong side, very direct. They scored two goals against us and any team that does that has to be respected. They also beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield earlier this season so there is no complacency."

Even so, Middlesbrough, who would meet Ruud Gullit's Feyenoord or Sporting Lisbon in the last 16, must be delighted that Graz are without Roland Kollmann, their most dangerous attacker who is suspended after being sent off in the first leg.

The Austrians' mood was hardly improved when they learned that they would not be permitted to train at the Riverside last night as Middlesbrough refused to remove the protective cover shielding the pitch from this week's snow showers.

Instead the visitors trained at non-league Guisborough Town, but McClaren remained unrepentant: "We are doing everything possible to get the game on; people at the stadium are working very hard to make sure it goes ahead and I'm very confident it will."

If Middlesbrough are regarded as clear favourites, Ehmann sees things rather differently.

"We were not happy with a 2-2 draw," he insisted. "We are a very good side and, although Middlesbrough may be a good team, they are not one we should fear."