Indian Super League side, Chennaiyin FC, which finished top of the League Table last season, will be travelling to Perugia, Italy for month long pre-season in order to prepare for the next Hero ISL season.
Perugia is located 164 km North of Rome, Italy's Capital and 102 km South-East of Florence. CFC's base will be about 5 km from the town centre. Chennaiyin FC will be training at Ellera, Corciano Town Council, Perugia.
The Pre-Season will start from August 23rd, for which Indian Players will be leaving for Italy in the early hours of August 22, whereas the foreigners will be expected to arrive at Perugia from their respective countries.
Chennaiyin FC is expected to play at least four friendlies for which the management is already in talks with lower division clubs.
After the month long Pre-Season, the team will travel back to Chennai on September 21 for their Hero ISL opening game against Atletico de Kolkata, on October 3rd.
Chennaiyin FC CEO Ashish Shah stated that, “Last year we didn’t have much time to prepare for the inaugural season of the ISL as our franchise was the last to join the league. As soon as the 2014 ISL ended, we were determined to have a full-fledged pre-season camp this time. Following discussions with our manager Marco Materazzi and his technical staff and the owners, we were convinced that it was important to be in an environment where we not only get top-class facilities to train but also play preparatory matches against strong opposition.
“Perugia in Italy perfectly fitted that requirement and we are now all looking forward to the start of the pre-season. It will be a great learning experience for our Indian boys as many of them will be getting the chance to train and play in Europe for the very first time. At the same time a month-long preparation will also help create a good understanding between our domestic and foreign players both on and off the pitch.”
Chennaiyin FC manager Marco Materazzi added, “Pre-season is very important for the success of any football team in the world. Last year due to unavoidable circumstances we didn’t get too much time to prepare for the ISL. Although the players still made me and the whole franchise proud with their efforts and performances, eventually everyone could see that we had too many injuries. So a full pre-season will make a massive difference to our physical, tactical and mental preparation ahead of the new season. The training facilities, environment and quality of opposition in Perugia will help us immensely in getting ready for the upcoming ISL campaign. The first day of training in Perugia will be our first step in the road to the final on December 20.”
Last Year, Atletico de Kolkata and FC Pune City had a Pre-Season in Europe. ATK had their Pre-Season in Spain,whereas FC Pune City had theirs in Florence, Italy.
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