Mumbai City FC to prepare for maiden AFC Champions League campaign in Abu Dhabi

As a part of the preparations ahead of their maiden AFC Champions League campaign, Mumbai City FC will travel to Abu Dhabi for a two-week training camp.

Mumbai City FC will set up base in Al Forsan where the first team squad will prepare before the Islanders head to Saudi Arabia for the Group Stage of the 2022 AFC Champions League which is scheduled to begin on April 8.

Before being crowned the ISL Champions in the 2020/21 season, the Islanders also finished 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 square off against the likes of Al Jazira (UAE), Al Shabab (Saudi Arabia) and Air Force Club (Iraq).

Des Buckingham, Mumbai City FC head coach, is looking forward to the training camp in Abu Dhabi.

“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," Buckingham said.

"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."