BULLISH keeper Brad Friedel flew out of Manchester today insisting Rovers have what it takes to avoid an embarrassing UEFA Cup exit.

Friedel and his Blackburn team-mates headed off for the Bulgarian capital to take on CSKA Sofia in tomorrow night's first round second leg, knowing they must score in the Bulgarska Armia or face another nightmare on a par with the Trelleborg debacle eight years ago.

But the United States international is adamant Rovers are now in the kind of shape required to improve on their wretched record in the competition from the past.

And he believes the fact that CSKA will go into the tie clutching onto a priceless away goal from the first leg could yet work in the Worthington Cup winners' favour.

"I don't think we could have had two better games going into this than the ones we've just had so we will go there with a lot of confidence and we'll try and play our football and try and take the game to them," said Friedel.

"Teams like that are completely different away from home than they are at home.

"So, in some ways it will be difficult with the atmosphere and everything, but in other ways it will be easier because they've got to come out and play us and, hopefully, open up a little bit, which should allow us to enjoy our football."

Friedel, who did more than anyone to help Rovers qualify for Europe in the first place with his man-of-the-match heroics in last season's Worthington Cup final, has been heartened by the team's recent displays against Leeds and West Brom.

Earlier in the season, a number of individual errors had prevented Rovers from gaining the results their performances had deserved.

But, after a dressing down from manager Graeme Souness, those silly mistakes now appear to have been eradicated, resulting in two successive clean sheets.

"We've had a few rollickings from the manager for some of the sloppy mistakes we've been making over the last few weeks and I don't think any of the lads want to get that again," said Friedel.

"So we seem to be cutting those out now. At the end of the day, we are only human beings and when they do happen it's all about how we react to it.

"I thought our performance at West Brom on Monday was very professional.

"The Hawthorns is not an easy place to go to and last year those were the games in which we were getting draws and losses.

"In the first half I had virtually nothing to do and in the second half what I had to do was mostly routine stuff.

"They put some very good service into the box but the back four and the midfielders covering for the second ball were absolutely fantastic and that's what we will need again tomorrow."

With Damien Duff also back on board to provide the kind of creativity which was sadly lacking from the first leg, Friedel is also confident Rovers now have the cutting edge required to make plenty of chances in Sofia which will be vital in the absence of Dwight Yorke.

"It's great that we are going to have Duffer back," added the American.

"He had a hand in both goals on Monday night which was very good to see and it's players like him who could well tip the balance in our favour."

ROVERS squad for tomorrow night's second leg against Sofia: Friedel, Kelly, Neill, Johansson, Berg, Taylor, Dunn, Tugay, Duff, Ostenstad, Thompson, Cole, Todd, Hignett, Mahon, Grabbi, Danns, Douglas, Gillespie.