England midfielder Paul Ince is promising his Middlesbrough team-mate Christian Karembeu a battle if the two lock horns in Paris this weekend.

Ince and the French international could go head to head as England take on the Euro 2000 winners on Saturday, and if they do the Middlesbrough skipper is in no mood to allow a man he regards as a friend have his own way.

The two Boro men are enjoying a new midfield partnership at the Riverside Stadium, but when it comes to international football there will be no quarter asked or given as Ince said: ''I hope he plays.

"There has been a lot of banter flying about, but if he comes near me I'm going to smash him and vice-versa.''

But while hostilities will be declared for the 90 minutes during which both men hope to be on the pitch in opposing colours, their blossoming friendship is not at risk.

Ince first came across the talented Frenchman during a chance meeting in Spain two years ago, and the pair hit it off almost immediately as the multi-lingual Karembeu made a point of introducing himself to his English counterpart.

''He speaks very good English and he's a good friend of mine, so we understand each other very well,'' said Ince.

''I met him two years ago in Seville when he was doing an advert for Pepsi. There were players from different countries, players like Christian and Luis Figo, but he was the only one who put himself out to come and speak to me. We ended up talking for about half an hour.

''I was absolutely delighted when he came to Middlesbrough. He was like a long-lost friend. It's important to have that relationship off the field as well as on it. It can help everyone succeed.''

Karembeu has found the Premiership to his liking since making the £2.1million move from Real Madrid during the summer.

He starred in the 3-1 win at Coventry on the opening day of the season and was again impressive as Boro launched their home campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Tottenham last Tuesday.

But manager Bryan Robson was critical of his midfield as they succumbed to Leeds last Saturday and Karembeu, Ince and company will be looking to tighten their grip again once they return from international duty provided, of course, that one or the other has not, as promised, been smashed.