MICHAEL CARRICK has admitted Middlesbrough’s approach to Sunday’s play-off game with Coventry City will be influenced by the fact it is merely the first of two legs that will decide who goes to Wembley.

Whereas Carrick is well versed in the challenges of two-legged ties thanks to his extensive European experience as a player with Manchester United, the majority of the Middlesbrough squad have little or no knowledge of playing in matches that stretch over two legs.

Whatever happens at the CBS Arena on Sunday lunchtime, nothing will be settled until the two sides lock horns again at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday, a message Carrick will be impressing upon his players prior to kick-off.

The Boro boss said: “It changes the dynamics within the game and how you manage the game for sure.

“In-game, you’re thinking about momentum and whether you’re in a good moment or a tougher moment. It’s easy to get caught up in what you’re used to and one game meaning the whole thing, but actually it doesn’t this time. So, of course, the boys have to be aware of that come what may on Sunday.

“We have to consider those things because it is a different situation and scenario to what we’ve been used to. You do have to understand the bigger picture and that it’s not just one game.

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“There are different ways of approaching that - whether you do change your approach, or whether you stick to what you’ve been doing. It’s something that we’ll definitely be taking into consideration.”

Carrick has been delighted with his players’ preparations for Sunday’s first leg, although he anticipates an extremely stiff challenge from a Coventry side that claimed a 1-1 draw at the Riverside last weekend and took four points from their two matches against Boro in the regular season.

He said: “The boys are looking forward to it and we’ve had a really good week of training in preparation. We all know what’s ahead of us and what’s at stake for us.

“We know what we have to do and we know it will be tough. But it’s an exciting challenge against a good team and I’m sure there will be momentum swings in certain points across the two games that we have to deal with. It will likely be who deals with that best who comes out on top.”