Aitor Karanka is well aware of the special buzz of derby games.
He was relishing today’s TV tussle with Leeds, Boro’s closest Championship neighbours and is well aware of the traditional intensity of battles against the West Yorkshire outfit.
“No one needs to explain to me the passion and excitement about this game for our supporters,” he said.
“I have known about this from the very beginning because Leeds was my first game in charge of Boro,” he said.
“That was at Elland Road and from the moment I walked on the pitch you can tell it is a special atmosphere and it was the same again when they came here to the Riverside.
“I know Leeds is a special game because they are one of our biggest rivals and there is always a big crowd and a big noise.
“When it is a big rival there is an extra pressure to win because our crowd is very excited and because local pride is at stake for the fans as well as the points.”
But he is no stranger to the intensity of a battle for bragging rights.
As a youngster he grew up with the side he supported and played for - Athletic Bilbao - involved in an on-going struggle to be the kings of the Basque region.
“In Spain we also call these games ‘derbies’ and there is the same intensity,” he explained.
“My team was Bilbao and our biggest rivals were Real Sociedad and Alves when they were in the first division and also Osasuna. They were all very big games.”
As a player at Madrid he also played in “el classico” - Real against Barcelona - so he knows what is at stake and what it tales to win.
“Derbies bring a special pressure,” he said.
“But if we want to win promotion, then we have to be able be able to perform in these kinds of games and the games against top of the table rivals when there is a big expectation or a big pressure.”
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