Girona FC, Melbourne City FC to play against Kerala Blasters from July 24

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Bengaluru, June 26: The football fans in Kerala are in for a bonanza treat as La Liga side Girona FC and Australia's A League side Melbourne City will arrive in Kochi for matches against Indian Super League (ISL) side Kerala Blasters from July 24 to 28.

Girona FC will be the first La Liga side to play in India. The Melbourne City FC too shared the excitement of playing the sub-continent and in a tweet posted with the headline "India here we come."

The matches, held under the aegis of the Toyota Yaris La Liga World initiative, will be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kaloor, Kochi.

Melbourne City FC, who finished third and qualified for the final round under head coach Warren Joyce in the recently concluded A-League, will be a tough nut to crack for Blasters.

Meanwhile, Girona, who plies their trade in the Spanish La Liga, made headlines when they defeated current European Champions Real Madrid at the Estadi Montilivi in La Liga.

Girona FC had qualified for the La Liga last season for the first time in their 87-year-old history. In their maiden season, they finished 10th in the league and the win against Real was the shiniest feather in their cap. The tickets for the tournament will start at Rs 275.

La Liga ambassador and Spanish football legend Fernando Morientes unveiled the tournament trophy and said: "Pre-season tournaments are the best preparatory ground for a club to prepare for the season ahead. I remember how playing pre-season friendlies helped me identify the areas that I needed to work upon and be better prepared. I wish all the very best to all participating teams and am looking forward to a closely-contested tournament."

Varun Tripuraneni, CEO, Kerala Blasters FC said," This will be a perfect start to our pre-season preparations as we play against two international clubs of great repute. It will be a treat for the fans in Kochi and we are expecting the crowd to come out in large numbers."

The David James-coached Kerala Blasters endured a disappointing end to the 2017/18 season, finishing on sixth spot and out of the knockout contention.

But Blasters have been active in the transfer market roping in defender Abdul Hakku from NorthEast United for the upcoming ISL season. They have also inked a deal with promising India U-17 footballer Dheeraj Kumar on June 2 to start off the transfer window on a right note.