Mumbai, Mar 16 (IANS): As a part of the preparations ahead of their maiden AFC Champions League campaign, Mumbai City FC will travel to Abu Dhabi, UAE for a two-week training camp, club said in a release on Wednesday.

Mumbai City FC will set up base in Al Forsan where the first team squad will prepare before the Islanders head to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the Group Stage of the 2022 AFC Champions League which is scheduled to begin from April 8.

Before being crowned the ISL Champions in the 2020/21 season, the Islanders also finished top of the table and lifted the League Winners' Shield, thus becoming only the second Indian club to secure participation in Asia's biggest club football competition.

Drawn in Group B in the West Region of the 2022 AFC Champions League, Mumbai City FC will square off against the likes of Al Jazira (UAE), Al Shabab (Saudi Arabia), and Air Force Club (Iraq).

Speaking about the preparation, Des Buckingham, head coach, Mumbai City FC said, "After a six-month season living in a bubble in the ISL, the players have had a small break in the past days. We now turn our attention to preparing as well as possible in Abu Dhabi, taking the positives from the league campaign and building on the learnings. We have a very young squad here and the experiences gained, combined with a fresh mindset will help us focus on our next objective for our continental campaign."

"We now have time to acclimatise to the conditions and prepare the squad for what will be an exciting challenge ahead. The players, coaches, staff - everyone at Mumbai City is determined to prepare in the best way possible for what's going to be an important experience and historical moment for the club. We're excited and we look forward to the AFC Champions League," he added.

"At the AFC Champions League, we will be representing not only our city but all of India. It's a challenge and a responsibility and it is important to us that we prepare for it in the best way possible. I am confident that the staff and the players under Des' leadership will leave no stone unturned in our efforts leading up to the AFC Champions League. As a club, we're looking forward to the invaluable experience of playing at the highest level in Asia and we hope to give a good account of ourselves and make our fans proud," Kandarp Chandra, CEO, Mumbai City FC said.