Regis Le Bris weighs in on controversial Sunderland, Newcastle United, Middlesbrough topic | OneFootball

Le Bris is about to face 'Boro for the first time since taking over at the Stadium of Light

Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris has questioned whether his side's clash with Middlesbrough is a derby, identifying Newcastle United as the Black Cats' main rivals.

Following his appointment as manager at The Stadium of Light in the summer, the Frenchman is now set to come up against 'Boro for the first time.

The two clubs, who are, of course, both based in the North East of England, are set to go head-to-head on Saturday afternoon.

Ahead of that game in Sunderland, the debate has once again re-emerged about whether the fixture can be considered a derby.

Now, Le Bris himself has been questioned about that particular topic of conversation ahead of the match.

Le Bris names Sunderland's biggest rivals

It has often been a topic of debate among supporters of the two clubs about whether this game is a derby.

Those of a Middlesbrough persuasion will suggest that the game is indeed a derby, although the majority of Sunderland fans seemingly believe differently.

For those with links to the Black Cats, clashes with Newcastle are often seen as the major derby matches for the club.

Now it seems as though Le Bris himself is also taking that stance, although he is still expecting the clash with 'Boro this weekend to be an intriguing one.

When asked whether he thinks Sunderland vs Middlesbrough is a derby, the Black Cats boss was quoted by The Northern Echo as saying: "The most important derby from my knowledge is Newcastle. Middlesbrough will be an interesting fixture but I'm not sure for the supporters and fans it's a specific derby."

Discussing whether the close proximity of the two clubs will add another edge to the match, Le Bris added: "I don't know for the players. For me, I like every game because it's always a new challenge and every challenge is exciting. For the players, I don't know, we will see."

Going into the game, Sunderland sit second in the Championship table, and will be looking to bounce back from their 3-2 defeat at Plymouth Argyle last weekend.

Prior to that, the Black Cats had started the campaign with four straight wins in the league, giving them 12 points from five league games so far.

Middlesbrough, meanwhile, have picked up eight points from their five league games so far, and are unbeaten in their last three in the league.

As a result, they go into the weekend tenth in the current standings, just one point adrift of the play-off places.

For their part, Newcastle are currently third in the Premier League table, with ten points from their four league matches so far.

A fair comment for Le Bris to make

It does seem as though it is probably a sensible assessment of the situation for Le Bris to make here.

The Frenchman has made a strong start to his time as Sunderland manager, and he is going to want to keep the club's fanbase on side.

By taking the same stance over the rivalries with Middlesbrough and Newcastle as his supporters, he does give himself a better chance of doing that.

Of course, there is also a point to be made that when the Black Cats and Magpies face off, it does seem to generate one of the fiercest atmospheres in English football.

While that may admittedly not quite be matched by the meeting between Sunderland and Middlesbrough, encounters between the two are still often eventful and entertaining.

Indeed, with Newcastle not in the same division this season, this match is the best chance for either of these two teams to claim some local bragging rights.