Aug 13, 2016 at 3pm UK at ​Riverside Stadium
Middlesbrough
1-1
StokeStoke City
Negredo (11')
Downing (29'), Ramirez (30'), Forshaw (91')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Shaqiri (67')
Shawcross (22'), Given (30'), Bardsley (48'), Wollscheid (84'), Arnautovic (95')

Aitor Karanka eyes Premier League survival

Aitor Karanka, manager of Middlesborough during the Sky Bet Championship match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Middlesborough at Molineux Stadium on October 24, 2015
© Getty Images
Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka sets his sights on survival ahead of the club's return to the Premier League.

Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka has set his sights on survival during his side's first season back in the Premier League.

Boro will host Stoke City on Saturday in their first top-flight outing for seven years having secured promotion by finishing second in the Championship last season.

Karanka has brought a number of high-profile players to the club, including the likes of Alvaro Negredo and Victor Valdes, and he is hopeful that their experience will help towards their goal of staying in the division.

"It is amazing for everybody. We are a Premier League club and it is exciting for everyone. It is a big challenge but it is a good one for this football club, and especially for me," he told reporters.

"The main aim for us is to stay in the Premier League, and to build the foundations to be here for a long time. I was really pleased when Alvaro Negredo came here because he knows this league and has played at the top level.

"In the Premier League it is all about results. We have new players and one year in front of us to keep working and keep going."

Boro will also face Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace and Everton in their first five games.

Valencia's forward Alvaro Negredo celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League playoff football match between AS Monaco FC vs Valencia CF, at the Louis II Stadium, in Monaco, on August 25, 2015
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester UnitedMan Utd11003123
2Liverpool11004313
3Hull City11002113
4Manchester CityMan City11002113
5Swansea CitySwansea11001013
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom11001013
7Everton10101101
8Middlesbrough10101101
9Southampton10101101
10Stoke CityStoke10101101
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs10101101
12Watford10101101
13Chelsea00000000
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham00000000
15Arsenal100134-10
16Leicester CityLeicester100112-10
17Sunderland100112-10
18Burnley100101-10
19Crystal Palace100101-10
20Bournemouth100113-20