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Mumbai City FC will travel to Abu Dhabi for a two-week training camp as part of preparations for their maiden AFC Champions League campaign.
“Mumbai City FC will set up base in Al Forsan, where the first team squad will prepare before the Islanders head to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the group stage of the 2022 AFC Champions League, which is scheduled to begin from April 8,” the club said in a statement.
Before being crowned the ISL champions in the 2020/21 season, Mumbai City FC also finished at the top of the table and lifted the League Winners' Shield, thus becoming only the second Indian club to secure participation in Asia's biggest club football competition.
Drawn in group B in the west region of the 2022 AFC Champions League, Mumbai City FC will face the likes of Al Jazira (UAE), Al Shabab (Saudi Arabia), and Air Force Club (Iraq).
Head coach Des Buckingham said that the Islanders now have time to acclimatise to the conditions.
“After a six-month season, living in a bubble in the ISL, the players have had a small break in the past days. We now turn our attention to preparing as well as possible in Abu Dhabi, taking the positives from the league campaign and building on the learnings,” said Buckingham.
“We have a very young squad here and the experiences gained, combined with a fresh mindset will help us focus on our next objective for our continental campaign ... for what's going to be an important experience and historical moment for the club,” the head coach added.
I-League: Churchill Brothers hand Mohammedan Sporting first defeat of season
Churchill Brothers brought the Mohammedan Sporting juggernaut to a halt with a 2-1 victory while Rajasthan United and Indian Arrows played out a goal-less draw in I-League matches on Wednesday.
Striker Kenneth Ngwoke (2nd and 62nd minutes) scored a brace for Churchill while Marcus Joseph (57th) -- the league's leading scorer -- pulled one back for Mohammedan Sporting at the Kalyani stadium.
This was Mohammedan Sporting's first defeat of the season.
Churchill got off to the best possible start by taking the lead in the second minute of play. A regulation long ball behind the Mohammedan Sporting backline caused mis-communication in their box, as goalkeeper Zothanmawia was deceived by a hesitant touch from his own defender.
Ngwoke was on hand to capitalise on the error and he sent the ball into the empty Mohammedan Sporting goal to put his side in front.
The game was played at a brisk pace for the remainder of the half as the league leaders found themselves chasing a spirited Churchill Brothers side keen to turn their form around in the I-League.
Mohammedan Sporting levelled the score in the 57th minute through their talisman Joseph, who attacked the ball with aggression from a Nikola Stojanovic corner and beat his defender to send a glancing header into the far post.
Ngwoke completed his brace in the 62nd minute. He latched on to the second ball from a clearance and made no mistake from a one-on-one against goalkeeper Zothanmawia to restore the advantage for Churchill Brothers.
Mohammedan Sporting came agonisingly close to an equaliser in the 90th minute when Joseph's left footed thunderbolt came back off the upright after beating Shilton Paul on his near post.
At the Naihati stadium, both Rajasthan United and Indian Arrows showed defensive solidity in their drawn match.
Rajasthan were dominating the early proceedings with Pedro Manzi in the thick of things. A blunder from the Indian Arrows defence gave him a chance in the 13th and 15th minutes but he wasn't able to convert them into goals. The Spaniard's effort in the 48th minute hit the post.