Chennaiyin FC will undergo a month-long pre-season camp in Perugia, Italy, to prepare for the 2015 Hero Indian Super League.
The training is expected to start on August 23.
The 2014 semifinalists, who missed out on valuable time last year as the team was assembled only in the last minute, will play at least four friendly games during their stay in Italy, and the club is in talks with various lower division teams in Italy for the same.
“Pre-season is very important for the success of any football team,” an official release quoted manager Marco Materazzi as saying. “Last year, due to unavoidable circumstances we didn’t get too much time to prepare. 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. The training facilities, environment and quality of opposition in Perugia will help us immensely in getting ready. The first day of training in Perugia will be our first step on the road to the final on December 20.”
The club’s domestic players will leave for Italy on August 22 while the overseas players will assemble in Perugia from their respective countries.
The squad will return to Chennai on September 21 ahead of its opener at home against Atletico de Kolkata on October 3.