Sunderland captain Dean Whitehead is backing fans to give Middlesbrough midfielder Julio Arca a "good reception" for this weekend's derby.

Arca was a former Black Cats star and Whitehead said: "He's so good you could stick him anywhere on the pitch. He's playing in central midfield there and a lot of the play goes through him at Boro, so we'll need to watch him closely. I think he will get a good reception from the Sunderland fans, he deserves it."