AITOR Karanka is keeping his fingers crossed that Newcastle and Sunderland can both pull off the great escape in May.

The Middlesbrough boss would love nothing more than a Premier League fixture schedule packed with North-East derbies - if he can lead the Teessiders in ending their seven-year top flight exile.

In true Karanka style, the pragmatic Spaniard insisted he's not allowed himself to spend even 'one second' thinking about what life would be like leading Boro at English football's top table as his side head the Championship by a commanding five points.

That's despite having his appetite whetted by trips to Anfield, the Etihad Stadium, the Emirates and Old Trafford during his successful two-year reign as his squad have proved more than capable of holding their own with the Premier League elite in knockout competition.

The 42-year-old keeps an eye on the fortunes of Boro’s near neighbours, who are both in the relegation zone scrapping for survival. And he hopes the pair can navigate a path to safety to help set up the first Tees-Wear and Tees-Tyne league derbies since the club lost its top flight status under Gareth Southgate in 2009.

The Boro boss said: "I'm not going to spend one second thinking about the Premier League. I enjoy watching the games, and the matches we've had against Manchester United and City, Liverpool and Arsenal in the best stadiums is a good motivation to know what it would be to play in the Premier League next season.

"But of course our focus is on Saturday's game against Bristol City and nothing beyond that at the moment."

Third-bottom Sunderland leapfrogged Newcastle thanks to the crucial 4-2 victory at Swansea that left the Tyne-Wear rivals a point adrift of the Welsh club, who occupy the final place above the bottom three.

Karanka insists a triumvirate of North-East clubs would help boost spirits in harsh economic times for the region, and he added: "I think it would be important for them to stay up.

"The more teams one area has in Premier League, the better as far as I'm concerned. It's even more important for everybody, especially in this area where things are not really good (economically) right now. We all know that football can be a force for good for everyone and for the region as a whole."

Karanka believes Brighton's alarming dip in form in the past month has narrowed down to three Boro's main rivals for one of the two automatic promotion places.

Middlesbrough's convincing 3-0 win at the Amex Stadium before Christmas is one of a sequence of eight games without a win for Chris Hughton's side, who were unbeaten until Karanka's side visited the south coast.

They have dropped to sixth, 11 points behind the table-toppers. Karanka believes second-placed Hull, and Derby and Burnley, who occupy third and fourth still represent a threat to his side's hopes of a to two finish.

"Brighton have fallen away in the last month, it's been really bad for them," he added. "But Hull, Burnley and Derby can all do things in my opinion. Burnley beat us in the cup, Hull moved second with another comfortable win and as I've said all along, Derby have an amazing squad.

"They've spent money on putting it together and they're still adding players. For that reason I think it will be that three, but in this division, we know how quickly things can change."

Karanka insists a deal for Swedish defender Victor Lindelof is still some way from being sealed, but revealed the club is closing in on Spanish striker Kike Sola.

The Boro boss is confident of sealing a move for Sola, and the 29-year-old from Athletic Bilbao. "We're close with Sola," he said. "He's a player who can bring us something different, he's strong and experienced and he can play as a second striker so that can be really good for us. He'll bring something we don't have."

Middlesbrough are considering a move for Benfica's Sweden Under-21 international Lindelof, but the deal is far from complete. An initial loan with a view to a permanent move for the imposing 21-year-old has been suggested as Karanka looks to beef-up his defensive options for the second-half of what has so far been a highly successful campaign.

Spanish side Real Valladolid are also interested in the Scandinavian stopper, who Middlesbrough have tracked for the best part of 12 months. Karanka added: "Lindelof is a really good player, his name is on the list but it's not imminent at the moment. We have other players to look at as well."

Boro's home games against Wolves and Hull have each been brought forward 24 hours for live television coverage. Kenny Jackett's men will now visit the Riverside Stadium on Friday March 4, with the Tigers now due on Teesside on March 18.