Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic knows they're in for a gruelling preseason.
Begovic bore witness to the demands of what he describes as the most difficult pre-season ever 12 months ago, and he says more of the same is anticipated for when the players return back from their summer breaks in just under six weeks time.
"It's nice to have a break, especially after a very long season," he told stokecityfc.com. "It's good for all of us to take a little time away from football, recuperate and then make sure we come back in July fit and raring to go again.
"We are under no illusions as to how tough pre-season is going to be, especially out in Austria. I was here for it last year and it was incredibly tough, but that is what you want. At the time you may not like it, but it is all done in our best interests.
"It certainly helped us over the season, especially in the second half of the year because I don't think there were any teams who were fitter than us.
"We looked good at the end of games and that is all down to the preparation we did last summer. We will do it all again this year and hopefully it will prove to be just as valuable to us when the new season gets underway."
