Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka is preparing for life in the Premier League by taking his squad to Marbella.

The Boro, who last played in Premier League in 2008-09, are currently training in a week-long camp in the South of Spain.

Karanka's side will take part in three pre-season friendlies in the coming week, starting with a clash against Gus Poyet's Real Betis on Tuesday evening, and Karanka feels it will be a good opportunity to get his players ready for the rigours of top flight football.

"We want to build a squad for the Premier League," Karanka told the club's official website.

"I said after the games at York and Doncaster that the club is working really well. For that reason we can be focussed on the pitch, and the better players we have the more chances we have next season.

"For the players who have arrived and the new players arriving we have another week and three games to be together in Marbella.

"We have a lot of new players this season and it's nice to be together to spend time in the training sessions and at the hotels.

"It's completely different because this time last season we didn't have any players. This season we have five or six new players."