Karanka looking for momentum

The point at the Emirates was enough to keep the Teessiders out of the Premier League relegation zone, although Boro are now without a win in their last seven league games

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Against Arsenal we showed we can compete with everyone.

Aitor Karanka

And Karanka is keen to see further progress made in the coming weeks, starting with a home clash with Bournemouth on Saturday.

The Spaniard told reporters at his pre-match press conference: “We have to keep improving, because against Arsenal we showed we can compete with everyone.”

Boro are 13/10 to secure a victory on Saturday, with the draw priced at 21/10, while the hosts are available at 7/4 to keep a clean sheet.

Meanwhile, left-back Ben Gibson has backed up the view of his manager and hopes that the confidence taken from the game against the Gunners can be used as a springboard to try and ensure Premier League survival.

He added: “When you go to a place like the Emirates and get a result, particularly after everyone had written us off after the recent run of results, it’s great.

“We were written off on a few occasions last season, but still got promoted and I firmly believe that if we keep that fight and mentality that we showed on Saturday, then we’ll stay up.

“We know that Saturday was the way forward and now we have to carry that momentum into our home games.”

Boro, who are 5/2 to be relegated this season, have five home league games to play before Christmas, including potentially crucial clashes with fellow strugglers Hull City and Swansea City.

Source: bet365.com