Wrexham AFC in Portugal: Diary, day one - Reds up and running in Algarve

Wrexham's second pre-season tour to Portugal is up and running.

Sam Ricketts, his backroom staff and players flew out to the Algarve yesterday, joining hundreds of fans who are heading to the region once again.

I have travelled on the official sponsors trip from The Racecourse and fans were in good spirits after meeting for lunch at dinnertime yesterday.

The Wrexham AFC players at Faro Airport

We met the team at Manchester Airport – they had been training in the area during the morning – and flew out to Faro.

We didn’t arrive at the hotel in Villamoura until the evening and enjoyed a buffer on arrival.

Unlike in previous years, Wrexham have kept a large number of players who played last season so they will know what to expect from the Portuguese heat when they take part in two training sessions today.

The Wrexham AFC players outside Faro Airport

The second one is open and a large amount of fans are expected to be in attendance at Vale do Lobo.

Another training session takes place tomorrow before the friendly against Portuguese third tier side Louletano Desportes at the 30,305 seat capacity Estádio Algarve, located near the town of Almancil, in the evening.

View from the hotel in Villamoura

I am looking forward to seeing what the stadium is like and it will be a first for Wrexham because last year’s game wasn’t played at the venue.

The stadium was completed in time for the European Championships in 2004 and hosted two group games and a quarter-final match between Sweden and Holland.

Hopefully Wrexham can do the stadium justice and supporters are rewarded with a win!

Don't miss our exclusive coverage of Wrexham AFC in Portugal all this week, in the Leader and online.

Head to leaderlive.co.uk each day and follow Rich Williams on Twitter