Melbourne City take on LaLiga’s Girona FC this Friday night in an all-City Football Group (CFG) affair. The two sister clubs are competing in the inaugural LaLiga World Tournament – the first international club tournament to be held in India.
The game is City’s second in the tournament after securing a 6-0 victory over host team, Kerala Blasters on Tuesday night and will be available for Australian fans to view, free-to-air on Melbourne City FC Facebook.
“Pre-season tournaments are an important part of our sporting preparation, but we are very aware when we travel that fans want to see the players in action” said City’s Chief Executive Officer, Scott Munn.
“Facebook Live is the perfect channel to give global access and allows fans to engage with comments and conversation throughout the game.
“This is the third time we have played a CFG sister team and we’re delighted that fans all over the world will be able to watch it.”
The Club are in buoyant mood after a comprehensive victory over local favourites, Kerala Blasters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi, India. Goals from Dario Vidosic, Bruno Fornaroli, Ramy Najjarine and new recruit, Lachlan Wales, were backed up by a brace and impressive debut performance by Riley McGree – all in front of a passionate, partisan ‘Yellow Army’.
The near-full City squad, including the afore mentioned new signings, Wales and McGree, in addition to former Glasgow Rangers forward, Michael O’Halloran, arrived in India over a week ago to undergo specially designed humid weather training sessions at a local football facility.
City’s opponents and sister club, Girona FC, are looking for a positive start to the year following an impressive 2017-18 season in which they finished 10th place in Spain’s La Liga. The two teams share the same possession-focussed football philosophy and commitment to player development that are central tenets of CFG clubs, promising quality viewing and a real test of City’s early preseason preparations.
This will be the third time Melbourne City has faced a sister-team – the men’s team played Manchester City in Australia in 2015 and the women’s team in Abu Dhabi in 2016.
The live stream will commence shortly before kick-off at 11.30pm (AEST) Friday 27 July on the Melbourne City FC Facebook channel. Head to this link for the stream. The match will also be broadcast on Fox Sports 507 from 11.25pm.
