NEIL Harris said he is looking forward to getting his players “out of their comfort zone” after Millwall revealed their pre-season games to take place in Spain. 
The Lions will face Premier League side Nottingham Forest on Tuesday July 23 before taking on Spanish third-tier side Real Murcia on Friday July 26. Both games will be hosted at the Pinatar Arena and tickets have been put on sale for fans via the club website.
The Forest game will kick off at 6pm UK time while the clash against Real Murcia will take place at 10am UK time.
Both fixtures will come after Millwall face Gillingham at Priestfield Stadium next Saturday on July 13.
Asked for the thinking behind the fixtures, Harris told NewsAtDen: “Convenience, availability and timing are of course three factors. I’ve been very clear already that some of the early fixtures before Spain were set already before I joined the football club so I certainly wasn’t going to come in and change anything that we agreed to, that’s not my style.
“I wanted to add ideally a Premier League opponent into our pre-season programme and Forest tick that box so we’re really looking forward to that one, it’s a real challenge.
“And while we’re away – I’ve always done it in the past – I like to play a foreign opponent. Something completely different, someone we know nothing about, they know nothing about us.
“Different style of play, different technical ability, different weather conditions, different pitches etcetera. It just takes you completely out of your comfort zone.
“It’s a morning kick-off as well so it’s completely random and that’s the beauty of the challenge. I’d expect Forest to be an absolutely superb outfit and Real Murcia to be the same but a different challenge.”
Harris said more pre-season games were likely to come, including a home game in a month’s time.
He added: “There are more fixtures around that, some are behind closed doors friendlies.
“A lot of fans, especially older fans, liked when we took the first-team to the local games at Welling and Dartford. But times have changed now and the level of opponent we need to be ready for the start of the season has adapted and the financial implications are very different now in the modern world.
“There will be two or three training ground games behind close doors against opponents, home and away. There’s a home friendly pencilled in for August 3 that’s being finalised at the moment that will be announced by the club in the coming days. But the programme is probably the best we’ve ever put together as a football club.
“To play Forest and Murcia in Spain is brilliant. What a great opportunity for the lads to enjoy and test themselves against Premier League and Spanish opponents. A great opportunity for the fans that are able to travel and spend a few days watching their team abroad. It’s a really impressive pre-season schedule.”
