MUMBAI: Indian football heavyweights Bengaluru FC have seen a rapid rise since its inception in 2013 and are all set to create history by being the first club from the country to take on the ‘B’ or reserve teams of La Liga giants FC Barcelona and Villareal in Spain.
“We’ve got some big news coming in! The Blues are off to Spain for a pre-season that includes games against @FCBarcelonaB and @VillarrealCF B. Stay tuned!” Bengaluru FC wrote on its official twitter handle.
In return, FC Barcelona B tweeted, “You will be really welcome to Barcelona! We hope to enjoy a good match at the Miniestadi!
Bengaluru FC have a lot of action coming up for which they are preparing at present in Bellary, Karnataka. The team will be flying out for the pre-season camp in Spain on July 30. Prior to playing Barcelona and Villareal, they will be training at the Masia La Grava facility in Valencia and would play a series of friendlies against one of UAE’s top clubs, Shabab Al Ahli Dubai FC and Spanish Segunda B side, Atletico Saguntino.
The squad will return back to Bengaluru on August 15 ahead of their AFC Cup first leg clash against Altyn Asyr on August 22 at the Kanteerava Stadium followed by the return leg on August 29 in Turkmenistan.
At the start of the 2017-18 season, the Blues trained at Pinatar Arena in Murcia for ten days while playing friendly games against Segunda B sides UCAM Murcia CF, FC Cartagena and UAE’s Baniyas S&R.
“We are really looking forward to what promises to be a very valuable pre-season tour in Spain. What’s key is the quality of opposition that we will be coming up against. Barcelona B and Villarreal B are massive clubs who work very well with their youth. It’s where players like Xavi, Iniesta and Santi Cazorla have come through. Equally tough will be our game against Shabab Al Ahli who were runners-up to Guangzhou Evergrande in the 2015 AFC Champions League final,” Bengaluru FC coach Carlos Cuadrat said on the prospect of facing quality opponents ahead of the AFC Cup.
“I am also very excited that we will be playing a game at the Mini Estadi (Barcelona B) because I was part of programme to inaugurate the stadium in 1982 and it was my home turf for the next six years. I have a lot of fond memories from my time there and it’s nice to be able to return in a different capacity,” he signed off.
