Tony Dorigo on Leeds United v Manchester United: 'It's the first time I think I felt all the hairs stand up the back of my neck in the tunnel'

The Whites host Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday in a fixture whose historic intensity remains as strong as ever.

James Trafford, Nice Elvedi, Tarik Muharemovic, Harry Wilson and Jean-Matteo Bahoya will be experiencing the Roses clash for the first time if they play (Melvin Baird too, but his involvement seems least likely) and Dorigo warns they will not know what has hit them.

The two Uniteds went eight years without facing each other in the 1980s, but by the time Dorigo first played in the fixture, in August 1991, they were title rivals once more.

"When I was at Aston Villa, my first club, we played Birmingham City and it doesn't matter what level it is, whatever your biggest rivals are, it's a pretty intense game," says Dorigo, who now follows Leeds for the club's media channels.

"It was how high I could jump because the tackles were around my neck somewhere.

"But nothing was quite like the Leeds-Man United games. As soon as I joined, already people were looking at when that particular game was.

"I thought, 'Okay, it's an important game,' but no, it's the big game – it's the game. It was huge, it really was.

"You realise when you walk on the pitch before the game, it's not quite the same because the noise is crazy.

"It's the first time I think I felt all the hairs stand up the back of my neck in the tunnel. I could hear what was going on outside and it was ridiculously loud. And there was a bit of an edge to it.

"What the ref allowed was a bit crazy. You think at some point it will calm down and it doesn't, it just goes on like that for 90 minutes.

"Sometimes a player that does get carried away can be the difference. He can get sent off, he can do something silly, he can make a mistake. It's going to be hot."

That, says Dorigo, is where the captain comes in.

"The likes of Ethan Ampadu will be really important to explain how things go, what it's like, what's expected – 'Don't be surprised by this, don't be surprised by that,'" he says.

"I think Ethan is a perfect man for that. He's leading the team extremely well.

"We have got some very experienced players – Elvedi, World Cups and (77) games for Switzerland. (Jaka) Bijol, same thing for his country, (Anton) Stach is now a German international. They would have played in big games, no doubt, but this one's different. It just is.

"It's up a little notch.

"Any game that you would normally play on a Saturday, you start to ramp up on the Thursday or the Friday. Games against Manchester United ramp up way too early.

"We played Arsenal and as soon as that's done, straight away it's Manchester United and here we go.

"Everyone from the person in the street to the shop, they're all talking about that game. So you soon become aware how important that is.

"But it's also important to get it into the right perspective. You've got to prepare as best you can like you would any other game."

Leeds won April's match – their first league victory at Old Trafford since 1981. Their last home success was in 2002, but this is no free hit.

"That sort of atmosphere, I'd use that to thrive, that's what I liked," says Dorigo, a key part of Leeds' last Division One-winning team in his debut season. "That's fuel.

"You've got to think this is something I want to be part of, this is a platform I want to perform on.

"I remember playing in Italy (for Torino) against a team called Fidelis Andria. Like you, I'd never heard of them. It was 7,500 capacity. Every single one wanted to rip my head off.

"And you know what? I loved it.

"Then you can show them how good you are and what you can do. This game is exactly that.

"If you want to endear yourself to the fans, ask Jermaine (Beckford, scorer of the only goal in Leeds' 2010 FA Cup win at Old Trafford) what you can do.

"I still get people regularly talking about when we beat Manchester United 3-1 on Christmas Eve (1995).

"I remember (Noah) Okafor (scoring twice in April), I was there commentating. I will never forget those two goals and just the way that we played in that first 45. (Ao) Tanaka that night was an absolute hero."

Ruben Amorim was sacked on the back of last season's 1-1 draw, and Michael Carrick brings his team looking for a first win in six matches.

"Leeds United, we are looking upwards," says Dorigo, with Leeds suffering their first defeat of the season at champions Arsenal last Saturday.

"And of course, we have a Manchester United who are struggling. Hence why it's a really competitive game and both sides will be thinking, 'This is one that we can win.'

"Everything will be tested at Elland Road and no doubt our boys will test them. The fans will.

"They (Manchester United) need to be up for that because there's no doubt our boys in white will be."

Tony Dorigo was speaking on behalf of Hellotickets.