Striker relishes battle

Middlesbrough's Egyptian striker Mido says he is relishing the fight for a first-team place at the Riverside.

Mido gave boss Gareth Southgate food for thought on the opening day with his goal against Spurs and he is now hoping to play at Liverpool this weekend, but faces a battle with Tuncay and Afonso Alves for a starting spot.

"The goal will give me confidence for the season and hopefully I can get more goals in the coming games," the 25-year-old told the Gazette.

"There's a lot of competition for places, especially up front, and all I can say is that's got to be good for the club. It's a healthy situation and the good thing is we have different types of attacking players.

"I'm not the same player as Afonso Alves or Tuncay or Jeremie Aliadiere, which gives the manager options for different games."