Kerala Blasters, Chennaiyin announce ISL preseason tours
Kerala Blasters will fly to UAE for its preseason training, while Chennaiyin has chosen Ahmedabad and Jamshedpur for its Indian Super League preparation.
Published : Aug 29, 2019 19:54 IST
Indian Super League (ISL) sides Kerala Blasters and Chennaiyin announced their preseason tours on Thursday. Kerala Blasters will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Chennaiyin will train in Ahmedabad first followed by Jamshedpur.
Kerala Blasters will spend four weeks in the Gulf, starting September 4. It will play four matches against A and B division clubs of UAE, namely Dibba Club, Ajman Sports Club, Emirates Club, and Al Nasar Club.
Kerala Blasters head coach Eelco Schattorie said that the UAE, having a similar climate as India, will help his team in preparing for the upcoming ISL season.
“UAE has some good teams to play against during the preseason. This will help build confidence in the players and prepare them well for the upcoming ISL games. Moreover, playing in the UAE has an advantage of a similar climate. There are also enough opportunities for organizing good team building activities," he said.
| Matches | Dates |
| Kerala Blasters vs Dibba Club, Al Fujairah | September 06 |
| Kerala Blasters vs Ajman Sports Club | September 12 |
| Kerala Blasters vs Emirates Club, Ras Al Khaimah | September 20 |
| Kerala Blasters vs Al Nasar Club, Dubai | September 27 |
- Chennaiyin to train in Ahmedabad and Jamshedpur for season -
Chennaiyin's four-week preseason tour will begin on September 1 as the team travels to Ahmedabad first.
Head coach John Gregory and majority of the CFC squad will be using the training facility at Adani Shantigram in Ahmedabad.
After two weeks of training, Chennaiyin play its first preseason friendly against Ahmedabad’s ARA FC at The Arena by Transstadia on September 15.
On September 20, CFC will travel to Jamshedpur. Its opponents and dates for preseason friendlies in Jamshedpur will be confirmed later.
Midfielder Anirudh Thapa will join the Chennaiyin squad after his national team duties with India. India faces Oman and Qatar on September 5 and 10 respectively, in the FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
“We’re really looking forward to hitting the ground running with the fantastic mix of old and new faces in the squad. It’s a period to put in the hard yards and prepare for the new season, said Gregory.