KBFC head coach Meulensteen felt delightful after their pre-season campaign in Spain and India. “I am very pleased with our pre-season. Our fitness levels have increased. But we are not there yet. Everybody is fit and ready.”

Kerala Blasters played five matches in Spain, winning twice and losing just once against Marbella FC. Meanwhile, in their only pre-season fixture in India, Gokulam FC held KBFC in a goalless draw.

Ahead of their opening game against ATK, Meulensteen said: “The key is for the players to play the game. We need to focus on the match. I have been very impressed with the commitment of the players and their willingness to adapt.”

“The likes of Wes Brown and Berbatov were very motivated to play in India. They know what’s it like to play in a top professional environment. They’ll be the ones who’ll bring that extra flair to our game,” Rene added.

Tomorrow’s opening game will surely bring out the nostalgic feeling, especially for the Manchester United fans in the country who will be seeing the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Wes Brown, Teddy Sheringham, and Rene Meulensteen on the pitch and as well as on the sidelines.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for Teddy Sheringham to coach in India. I hope he congratulates me after the match tomorrow,” Rene concluded.

ATK head coach Teddy Sheringham surely doesn’t want Berbatov in his top-form tomorrow when his side will face KBFC, Teddy stated: “I know a lot about Berbatov. He’s a wonderful player. But I do not want to enjoy watching him tomorrow.”

But the former Manchester United striker has made it clear that they have come to Kochi for all three points. “We have come to Kochi to win the game. It’s a fantastic fixture to be a part of. It’s mouthwatering to come here and play in front of these fans. Of course, they won’t be supporting us. But it’s exciting regardless.”

When asked about India’s lanky striker Robin Singh, Teddy said: “Robin a big strong boy and I am happy to have him in my squad.”

ATK will be surely missing their star striker Robbie Keane who is sidelined with an injury. “Robbie Keane has been a great leader for us in the pre-season. He’s a fantastic ambassador for ATK. His injury is very unfortunate.”

KBFC vs ATK will kick-off at 08:00 pm IST tomorrow and will be telecast on Star Sports.

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Sheringham, 51, replaced Jose Francisco Molina, who led Atletico de Kolkata to their second title in three years in his only season as coach. The Kolkata-based side, owned by a consortium including Spanish club Atletico Madrid and former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, also won the inaugural edition in 2014.

Though, there have been reports in Spain that due to problems between the shareholders, Atletico Madrid will lose all ties with the ISL franchise. English giants Manchester City are reportedly in the race to tie a deal with the two times Champions.

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