Boro not the real derby for Sunderland - Le Bris
Regis Le Bris has won four of his five league games as Sunderland head coach
- Published
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris says he does not view Saturday's match with Middlesbrough as a real local derby.
The Championship fixture at the Stadium of Light (12:30 BST) will be the 154th meeting between the two sides, with Sunderland leading the rivalry 62-54.
"The most important derby from my knowledge is Newcastle," Frenchman Le Bris, who was appointed in June, told BBC Newcastle.
"Middlesbrough is an interesting fixture but I am not sure for the fans that we play a specific derby this Saturday."
Sunderland sit second in the Championship, but suffered their first defeat of the season last Saturday away to Plymouth Argyle.
They entertain a Boro side who are 10th with eight points from their opening five games.
But ahead of his first involvement in the fixture, former Lorient coach Le Bris is expecting a real test from Michael Carrick's Teessiders.
"It will be an interesting game with a different style," he said. "They are a well-organised side, in and out of possession, with specific attention in the way of building the game.
"We will have specific attention on many details and it will be interesting for us to solve that problem."
Michael Carrick will face his third different Sunderland boss in his fourth Wear-Tees derby
'Draw on the passion'
While Le Bris samples this fixture for the first time, it will be a fourth Wear-Tees derby for Carrick.
He has won one, drawn one and lost one of the previous three, with the victory coming at the Stadium of Light last October in a 4-0 win.
As a native of the North East, the former Manchester United and England midfielder needs no introduction to what Saturday's encounter means in the region.
With a crowd of over 41,000 expected at the Stadium of Light, he wants his players to feed off what is always a special occasion.
"We're all excited," he told BBC Radio Tees. "These types of games bring an extra little something to the day, to the preparation, and to the emotion in the game.
"We've got a job to do and we've got to keep our minds in a good place, but certainly you have to draw on the passion and the emotion and channel it in the right way.
"Sunderland away is a great challenge, but one the boys are relishing."