As Middlesbrough get set for their first Premier League match in eight seasons, Stoke City hope this will be the campaign they finally move up from the bottom half of the top 10.Riverside Stadium welcomes top flight football back to North Yorkshire on Saturday when the Boro host the Potters.A second place finish in the Championship last season earned Middlesbrough their first promotion since 2008-09, when a 7-11-20 overall result ushered in a long exile away from the top flight.The crowd, the players, myself -- everyone is really excited, Boro manager Aitor Karanka told the clubs official website.Middlesbrough went undefeated in their final 10 fixtures last season, but drew each of the last four. Boro -- joining Hull City and Burnley on the upgrade list -- might have the best overall makeup of the new sides to avoid immediate relegation from the Premier League.We worked hard to get here so we want to stay, club CEO Neil Bausor said. Saturday has been a long time coming. Its going to be great for us, the club and the town so were really looking forward to it.A season ago, Karankas group allowed a Championship-low 31 goals and received a consistent performance in goal from Dimitrios Konstantopoulos. However, U.S. National Team and former Aston Villa member Brad Guzan and ex-Barcelona and Manchester United keeper Victor Valdes were brought in to make for some interesting competition.That kind of depth in goal could perhaps come in handy against the best England has to offer. The spirit throughout the Boro has impressed Guzan.You can see that positive energy, belief and attitude that is so important in the Premier League, Guzan said. You sense that in this dressing room, everyone is pushing each other in training to make sure theyre ready.David Nugent, Gaston Ramirez, Jordan Rhodes and Cristhian Stuani provide some solid offencive options along with Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo. Just who will see the early time up front remains an interesting decision for Karanka.Weve put some investment in and worked to bring some players in that we hope can strengthen the squad weve got, Bausor said. Coupled with the experience weve got from last year, were pleased with where we are.Perhaps the overall key to the Boro season lies on the shoulders of Karanka himself. Known for some hot-headed behaviour in the past, any outbursts directed toward his own club or game officials might come off as colorful but could prove detrimental in the top division if habitual.Stoke has finished ninth for three straight seasons, but hope the additions of midfielders Ramadan Sobhi from Egypt and former Liverpool member Joe Allen will help improve on their 41 goals scored in 2015-16. The Potters went 2-3-5 in their final 10 matches and managed 17 goals in the last 17.Forward Marko Arnautovic, who had his contract extended four years, recorded a team-high 12 goals over all competition, but scored only once in his last seven contests.Attacking wise were in decent shape, we just need to find an end product, manager Mark Hughes told Stokes official website. Weve now got a long road ahead of us but were looking forward to it.The health of defender Ryan Shawcross again remains a concern after he was limited to 20 games a season ago and did not look completely fit during the preseason.Hughes club went 6-5-8 on the road last season and was outscored 10-2 while dropping the final three away from home. Tracy Mcgrady Jersey . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. 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Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. This years AFL grand final umpiring panel will feature a new face, with Scott Jeffery to officiate in his first premiership decider.Jeffery will be joined by experienced field umpires Matt Stevic and Simon Meredith for Saturdays clash between Sydney and the Western Bulldogs.Jeffery will umpire his first grand final after officiating in 308 AFL games, while Stevic and Meredith have umpired three grand finals each.Stevic is likely to take the opening bounce after performing the task in last years grand final, which he described as the scariest, most nerve-wracking experience of his life.He said the umpires wouldnt be afraid to make tough decisions, but agreed theyll have done their jobs if the game, not the umpires, are the main talking point.I think the best umpires still step in when required and take control but also blend into the game in a manner that is unobtrusive, Stevic said.Ultimately (hopefully) the fans and everyone associated with the sport are talking abbout what a wonderful game it is.dddddddddddd(But) we know we have a job to do and we need to make decisions - were not out there to not pay free kicks throughout the game.While he will be umpiring his first grand final, Jeffery is actually the most experienced of the trio having debuted in 2001.His appointment is the culmination of a lot of hard work, but he admitted he missed the highly-anticipated call from umpires boss Hayden Kennedy when he rang to give him the good news.It was rather embarrassing - I sat around all morning waiting for it then went to do some training and hed rung, Jeffery said.I initially thought (Id missed out) because Hayden does all the hard calls.But it was a pretty special call. Its everything Ive dreamt of and worked towards for a long time.Justin Schmitt was named as the emergency umpire for Saturdays clash. ' ' '
