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The 2017-18 ISL season is all set to become the biggest and the best of all ISL seasons till date with the induction of two new teams - Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC - and the expansion of the season's schedule from a mere a two months to five.
With an AFC Cup spot now guaranteed to the winners, the teams will leave no stone unturned to grab both the title and the AFC Cup. We saw all the clubs buying players with hunger in July's draft pick and also in the foreign transfer market.
All of that has seen a few reputed international stars like Robbie Keane, Dimitar Berbatov, and Wes Brown come to India which is now no longer a surprising prospect.
A bigger season means a longer preseason for the clubs. Here, we take a look at the destination of the teams for the two months' preseason training before the 2017-18 ISL kicks off.
ATK
Defending champions ATK, who have players like Robbie Keane and Robin Singh in their ranks, are already in Dubai, getting ready to defend their title. The foreign contingent reached on 8th of this month while the Indian boys reached a day later, fresh from their AFC Asian Cup qualifier match against Macau. They are the second club after Bengaluru FC to have started the preseason campaign for the upcoming ISL season.
Bengaluru FC
Bengaluru FC already traveled to Spain last month where they played against Spanish Segunda Divison B side Murcia CF and UAE Pro League outfit Baniyas S&R. They lost both their matches by a score of 4-2 and 3-0 respectively.
The team has had its pre-season early as the two-time I-League champions were also participating in the Asian Football Confederation's second-tier competition, the AFC Cup, and were in need of match practice ahead of their Inter-Zonal semi final clash against North Korean side 4.25 SC.
Kerala Blasters FC
One of the hot prospects to win the ISL this year, Kerala Blasters FC, who have Dimitar Berbatov, Wes Brown, CK Vineeth and Iain Hume along with some promising local and foreign youngsters, will have their preseason in Spain, confirmed club co-owner Nimmagadda Prasad while speaking to local Kerala publication Manorama. They are expected to play some top sides from the Segunda Division and, if rumours are to be believed, will be up against Valencia CF which will mark the biggest preseason of the Blasters till date.
Delhi Dynamos FC
Delhi Dynamos will travel to Spain. They will play a few matches against the lower division sides before journeying towards the east to train at the famed Aspire Academy in Qatar. They are expected to play a few top tier teams there before returning home. Their partnership with Qatar's Aspire Academy earlier this year will grant them access to state-of-the-art facilities used by top clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona for which they will stand in good stead for the coming season.
Jamshedpur FC
The new entrants, according to various rumours, will travel to Thailand. It seems that these rumours are true. Steve Coppell, the boss of the 'Men of Steel', has been an admirer of the place for long and that is no secret as it was he who took Kerala Blasters to the same country during his reign with them last season. An official announcement will be made in the next couple of days.
Mumbai City FC
Mumbai City FC will yet again travel to their previous preseason destination - Dubai, the largest city of the UAE. City have retained head coach Alexandre Guimaraes who is likely to play with a similar philosophy to last year's. They will be up against some top teams in the UAE Pro league there.
FC Pune City
FC Pune City, with Antonio Lopez Habas continuing as their head coach, in all likelihood will travel to Spain yet again. According to some reports, they will be playing second and third tier teams there although an official announcement is still awaited.
North East United FC
The Highlanders, most likely, will stay at home and play some top I-League clubs including Shillong Lajong FC. They announced all eight of their foreign signings yesterday and most of the players have that Iberian-Latin connection which their coach De Deus also a Portuguese. It is believed that the club will head to Portugal but it is just speculation at the moment.
FC Goa
FC Goa are all set to fly to Spain where they will play friendlies against teams from the lower divisions - the Segunda and Tercera divisions. According to some sources, they are also in talks with some of the lower tier La Liga clubs for an exhibition match, one of the clubs being Eibar. An official announcement is still awaited.
Chennaiyin FC
Chennaiyin FC who have appointed Englishman John Gregory as their head coach are all set to travel to UK. The MS Dhoni- Abhishekh Bacchan co owned team who is seeking to revive the glory of 2015 under Marco Matterazi will be playing top championship and League one clubs, if rumuors are to be believed.
Among the clubs who have been in talks with Chennaiyin FC mangement for friendlies as rumuored are Gregory's former clubs Queens Park Rangers and Crawley Town. Official announcement is still awaited.
