Middlesbrough manager Steve Agnew has insisted that his side have gained confidence in their survival bid following their 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Sunderland on Wednesday.
A solitary Marten de Roon strike saw Boro win the battle of the bottom two to keep their faint hopes of avoiding the drop alive, with six points now separating them from safety.
Boro do face a difficult run-in with three of the top four still to come, starting with Manchester City on Sunday, but Agnew is relishing the opportunity to pit his wits against Pep Guardiola at the Riverside.
"I've admired Pep for many, many years. I used to watch and analyse his teams when he was at Barcelona. I've nothing but admiration for him. I watched the Manchester United game last night and as a coach it's just the same as the players - that's my direct competition and it would be great to put one over him," Agnew told reporters.
"They (Barcelona) were just amazing, the way that they passed the ball. They were a possession-based team but with lots of creativity, lots of movement and talented, talented players that could score goals. When you come into a different country it is different, and England's different to Spain and different to Germany. He's a top, top coach and I'm sure he will become successful at Manchester City.
"That's where the players certainly get the confidence and belief from - winning football matches. We have to remember that it's been a long time since we last won a Premier League game, four months, so I'm confident the players will be in a much better place. We know the situation that we're in and we know we have to win more matches but it definitely puts us in a better place at the moment."
After the visit of City on Sunday, Boro face away games against Chelsea and Liverpool with a home clash against Southampton sandwiched in between.
Barney Corkhill
