Indian Super League side FC Goa have announced the list of teams they are slated to play in their preseason tour of Dubai starting next month.
The ISL franchise have zeroed in on strong opponents this time around to get their preparations for the upcoming edition of the lucrative football league up and running. They will be taking part in three friendlies in their 21-day training stint in Dubai during the month of September.
The Goan side, led by Brazilian manager, Zico, will take on Saudi Premier League (SPL) outfit Al Khaleej Club on 11 September in their first of the three games. Al Khaleej look quite a strong side, as they finished eighth in the SPL in the 2014-15 season.
They were promoted from the first division in the 2013-14 season.
Goa play well-known Riyadh giants Al Shabab FC next on 15 September. The club holds the record of being the first Saudi Arabian club to win the SPL on three consecutive occasions (1991, 1992 and 1993). They have a total of six SPL titles, and their latest came in the 2011-12 season.
Al Shabab also won the Saudi Champions Cup last year.
FC Goa's last and final friendly in the Dubai tour will be against Abu Dhabi outfit Al Jazira Club on 19 September. The chairman of the club is Sheikh Mansour, who is also the owner of the Abu Dhabi United Group, which acquired Premier League outfit Manchester City in 2008.
Former Roma and Juventus star Mirko Vucinic is the big name in the club's attacking line.
While the Indian players in the FC Goa roster are expected to leave for Dubai on 2 September, along with the support staff, the foreign players in the franchise will join the preseason camp directly from their respective nations.
Brazil legend Zico is also expected to link up with his team on the aforementioned date directly from the South American nation.
Former World Cup winner with Brazil and a no-nonsense defender -- Lucio -- is the marquee player for FC Goa in ISL 2015.
FC Goa Preseason friendlies:
11 September: Al Khaleej Club vs FC Goa
15 September: Al Shabab FC vs FC Goa
19 September: Al Jazira Club vs FC Goa
