Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi will be hosting India's first international football pre-season tournament in July. As part of the Toyota Yaris Laliga World, the friendly matches will see Indian Super League team Kerala Blasters going up against the Australian Melbourne City FC and Spanish club Girona FC.
The three-way tournament will see teams playing against each other across a period of five days in Kochi.
A-league's Melbourne City FC, managed by Warren Joyce, will come in after a strong third-place finish in the recently concluded Australian league. LaLiga's Girona FC will make its maiden trip to India after a stellar season in Spain in which they sabotage defending champions Real Madrid.
Though this is the first time pre-season match will be playing as a tournament, ISL side Delhi Dynamos FC had a one-off friendly against Premier League club West Bromwich Albion in 2016.
Here's all you need to know about the pre-season friendly
Match schedule and venue
Toyota Yaris Laliga World matches are scheduled over five days from July 24 to July 28. All matches will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kaloor, Kochi at 7.00 pm
Fixtures
- Kerala Blasters FC vs Melbourne City FC on July 24, Tuesday
- Girona FC vs Melbourne City FC on July 27, Friday
- Kerala Blasters FC vs Girona FC on July 28, Saturday
Tickets and price
The tickets for the tournament is already available through the ticketing partner, PayTM- https://insider.in/toyota-yaris-laliga-world/. Ticket prices start at Rs 275 and go all the way up to Rs 6000 for Owner's Box.
Kerala Blasters looking for a resurgence
The two-time Indian Super League finalists were determined to lift the trophy in season 4. However, the Kochi-based outfit failed to live up to the expectation despite having star players like Dimitar Berbatov and Wes Brown on board.
Under the head coach David James, Kerala Blasters FC is eyeing a resurgence in season 5. The team started off by signing India's U-19 FIFA World Cup custodian, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem and bolstered defence by adding local boys Anas Edathodika from Jamshedpur FC, and Abdul Hakku Nediyodath from NorthEast United.
Kerala Blasters FC also added Halicharan Narzary, the 24-year-old Assamese forward from the Highlanders, and goalkeeper Naveen Kumar from FC Goa.
!['Had denied Housefull franchise as they wanted me to wear a bikini': Tia Bajpai on turning down bold scripts [Exclusive]](https://data1.ibtimes.co.in/en/full/806605/had-denied-housefull-franchise-they-wanted-me-wear-bikini-tia-bajpai-turning-down-bold.png?w=220&h=138)
