MIDDLESBROUGH are on the verge of a striker crisis ahead of the start of the Premiership campaign next Saturday.

Boro boss Steve McClaren has confirmed that neither Michael Ricketts nor Massimo Maccarone will be available.

And with Malcolm Christie (groin and tonsilitis) only recently returning to action and Joseph Job late back to training after playing in the Confederations Cup, a lot will be resting on the firepower of Slovakian Szilard Nemeth for the trip to Fulham.

Christie and Nemeth are likely to start the friendly with Serie A side Chievo at the Riverside this afternoon (kick-off 4pm) and McClaren will be hoping both come through the match unscathed.

The Boro chief has revealed that Maccarone has gone back to Italy for further examination on an ankle injury sustained at Hull City, while Ricketts is still not 100per cent fit after his Achilles problem.

The former Bolton striker has struggled to regain full fitness after suffering a series of niggles following his January move to Teesside.

McClaren said: "Ricketts has started pre-season training and we are just building him up now.

"He will miss the start, but he shouldn't be too long as long as we get no setbacks along the way. In the first eight games when he came we were unbeaten and he contributed enormously to that run.

"He is going to be a tremendous asset to this club as he showed then.

"Unfortunately he has had a recurrence of an Achilles problem which has hampered his progress and fitness. We are sorting that out.

"Injuries always worry you. It's not been ideal and some times you get pre-seasons like that.

"It was really disappointing to see Maccarone get injured because he was looking good and we have just got Christie back and Nemeth back."

McClaren is determined to boost his squad with two more players - but he is convinced he has a strong first choice XI provided there are no injuries to key players.

And he insists that he can not target a place in Europe until he knows the strength and number of players he has at his disposal.

"We are loathe to target a place before we add to our squad," said the Boro boss, who wants Fulham's Sean Davis. "We have to improve on last season and I'm pleased with the players we have brought in and we have got here.

"I would like our injured players fit and when we have everybody fit we are a very good team.

"We need to improve the depth of the squad because that let us down last season and we have to make sure we will not be caught short.

"I can't at the moment say whether we are going to do this or that, or we are going to finish here or there because I haven't got the squad I want.

"But hopefully with what we will bring in I will be confident in saying that we can do that. My squad is not complete and when it is I will set more targets.

"I will be happier if the likes of Boateng, Ehiogu, Ricketts, Murphy and Queudrue were available. But I don't feel you can ever be satisfied as a manager until I've achieved something."

Meanwhile, Boro's opponents today, Chievo, have enjoyed two top ten finishes in successive years.

And McClaren, whose side will play their first and only pre-season game in front of their own fans, believes the Italians will provide another tough test for his players.

"Chievo have finished fifth and seventh in the Italian league so this is the type of game we have been wanting," said McClaren. "During pre-season you normally get matches where they are just nice and gentle, but I wanted something a bit harder than that.

"We have had that at Rotherham, we have had that at Sheffield United and we will have that on Saturday as well."

Read more about Middlesbrough here.