Indian Super League (ISL) defending champions Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) will be training in Spain for a month ahead of the second season of the ISL, which is set to start from 3 October, 2015.
The Indian contingent of ATK boarded the flight for Spain on Tuesday morning and once they reach there, they will be training at Los Angeles de San Rafael ground in Spain's El Espinar.
"The training will be basic yet strict. The technical aspect of the players would be scrutinized for the whole month in order to achieve their optimum potential," Atletico head coach Antonio Lopez Habas told the reporters on Monday.
This training is aimed at getting the players in proper physical and mental shape ahead of the star-studded tournament. The international players of ATK will also join the rest of the squad in Spain and they will undergo rigorous training to improve their physical and mental stability. ATK prepared a press release before the players hopped on to the flight at the Netaji Shubhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata, early on Tuesday morning.
Two Indian players who will be joining the rest of the side later in Spain are Arnab Mondal and Rino Anto. Mondal and Anto have prior commitments with the Indian national side for the pre-World Cup qualifiers.
"We are certain that this training is definitely going to make a difference in the end results for the second season of the ISL. With new additions this season, this training module will help in organizing our team and induce the right team spirit prior to the kick off. It is essential to be confident and get into the groove as a team while moving towards the business end," Atletico de Kolkata co-owner Sanjiv Goenka told the media.
Atletico de Kolkata will begin their training at the Los Angeles de San Rafael ground from 26 August. ISL edition 2.0 begins from 3 October and Chennaiyin FC will be ATK's first opponent in this year's campaign.
