STEVE McCLAREN last night told Middlesbrough's Mark Viduka to be ready, willing and able to take any chance he receives to prove his critics wrong after weeks of uncertainty surrounding the striker's future.

Viduka could be handed an opportunity to revive a Boro career that has hit the buffers in recent weeks against Birmingham City this afternoon.

It will be the first time the Australian has started a game since the crushing 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa on February 4, when he was embroiled in a public row with angry supporters outside the Riverside Stadium.

This week Viduka suggested a move away from Teesside could be on the cards sooner rather than later, and manager McClaren could choose to offload him in the summer.

But the Boro boss is only focused, for the time being at least, on trying to ensure the club finish strongly as they push forward on three fronts - the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and the league.

If that means fielding Viduka, who also recently denied any bust-up with the management over his non-selection, then McClaren has no qualms about playing him.

If that is the case this afternoon, then in-form strikers Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink and Aiyegbeni Yakubu will be warming the bench - something neither of them are happy to do.

"Quotes from players can be taken out of context and my only concern is Mark playing for Middlesbrough," said McClaren. "He is another who has been out of the team purely on the fact Yakubu and Jimmy are playing well.

"Mark has been very professional, has worked harder on the training field and is awaiting his opportunity. He has to be ready to take that.

"He knows there are a lot of games coming up and we need him. He is going to be important. If I was writing about Saturday's game I would stress enormously the importance of Viduka to this club."

It was not too long ago when Hasselbaink was the one whose position at the Riverside was in serious doubt. Talk of a move to Fulham in January was rife, while there was also a suggestion that a deadline-day move to Newcastle was blocked.

But now, having scored eight times since the turn of the year, when he came off the bench to score in the draw at St James' Park, his value to Boro's run-in has soared.

McClaren reiterated no decision has been made as to whether or not Hasselbaink will be offered a new contract in the summer, but did highlight the importance of the Dutchman to his squad.

"What I expect from all of them is a reaction to being left out, like Jimmy did," said McClaren, who snapped up Hasselbaink on a free transfer in the summer of 2004.

"I can't play them all. Jimmy stayed on the bench and waited for his chance and is the Premiership's top scorer in recent months. He got his chance and took it. Mark Viduka has to do exactly the same."

Regardless of whether or not Viduka is playing regularly for Boro until the end of the season, he remains one of Australia's top footballers, meaning his place in Guus Hiddink's World Cup squad is not likely to be under threat.

The same cannot be said of England's Stewart Downing, however. Downing missed last weekend's win at West Brom with a recurrence of a knee problem but should be back to face Birmingham.

Even if he plays every game, he needs to return to his best form to stand any chance of going to the finals.

"It's one step at a time for Stewart," said McClaren, Sven Goran Eriksson's right-hand man.

"He knows he has to be fit and playing to go. If he has been playing well then it's down to other people to decide at the end of the season

"His chance is still there. Out of necessity we have had to bring him back and play him in every game. He has not had a rest but he has had a breather and hopefully he will be right for Saturday. We have to be careful with Stewart."

Boro play game number 43 of the season today and their hectic schedule is no nearer to relenting, with seven, possibly eight, more matches to play this month.

But with an FA Cup quarter-final date with Charlton and a mouthwatering two-legged UEFA Cup last-16 contest with AS Roma on the horizon, McClaren would not have things any other way.

"We are doing well in cups and not so well in the league but the more games we have, the more successful we are being," he said.

"The thing with cups is that they can evaporate quickly. March is a big month for us and it starts this weekend."

Since the hammering at the hands of Villa, Boro are unbeaten in six matches and have won back-to-back league games for the first time in 16 months.

Birmingham, on the other hand, remain in the drop zone after a dreadful campaign, even though they returned to winning ways with a narrow victory over Sunderland last weekend.

The Blues are eight points behind Boro and are three shy of safety, something McClaren feels can be achieved by opposite number Steve Bruce.

"There are 12 games to go and we have always believed we would get out of the position we were in," said McClaren.

"I expect us to win on Saturday but any team down there, like West Brom were last week, are fighting and scrapping. We need to do the same."