AITOR KARANKA has told his Middlesbrough players to keep working hard and the fight to avoid relegation will be won.

Boro are sitting just above the bottom three after failing to win any of their last nine Premier League games.

The situation is hardly ideal, but Karanka insists that his side can stay up by doing the right things and staying solid.

Karanka said: "When you go to your office, do your best, when your staff do their best, the players do their best, and you can't do any more, and do more, then I think we are doing a lot of things right.

"We took a step forwards against West Brom and Everton, we have to keep working. I told them the only way to survive is to keep working every day. We have to keep working and if possible then harder every day."

He insists that Boro have tried to improve in an attacking sense.

Karanka said: "We tried. We were more offensive against Everton, West Brom, another game recently, and we had chances to score and didn't. It's the balance.

"If we had conceded a lot of goals then we are worse than now. We are where we are because we have the balance. At least we are not conceding."

 Antonio Barragan and George Friend trained this week after injuries.

Karanka, who is still without Calum Chambers through injury, said: "Hopefully I go tomorrow and they are here training again. It was a shame last week when you go to the pitch one hour before a training session and you are told you have to change your plan for an important game like Crystal Palace.

"We keep going. That's in the past."

Karanka has also praised midfielder Adam Clayton after he was handed a new contract this week.

"Clayton brings a lot of things," he said. "We are really speaking about an amazing lad, an amazing professional.

"Two years ago he was at Huddersfield fighting to survive in the Championship.

"He is now a key player for us and that shows we are improving a lot. He wants to improve every day."

On the visit to Stoke on Saturday, Karanka said: "I think one important thing is they're in a comfortable position.

"We need three points so we need to show them we need to win the game. We are fighting to survive and we have to show them."