MILLWALL are unlikely to play a friendly at The Den ahead of the 2021-22 season after the reconstruction of the pitch this summer.
Over the last six years, the Lions have hosted Portuguese top-flight side Tondela, La Liga’s Granada and Real Sociedad, VfL Bochum of the 2. Bundesliga in Germany, and London rivals Brentford and Crystal Palace the week before the start of the season.
The Den pitch together with the structure underneath is being replaced, the latter for the first time since the club relocated there in 1993.
Millwall could request to play their first league game of the season, on the weekend starting August 6, away from home.
The EFL fixture list will be released on June 24.
“I think that [a home friendly] will be difficult this year because of the pitch,” boss Gary Rowett said. “It might even be that we might have to do what a lot of clubs do where we may have to play the first game away from home.
“We don’t know but it’s highly unlikely we’ll arrange a game [at The Den] before the season starts.
“We will have to train on the pitch, we will have to get used to the surface. As it goes along we’ll work out exactly what we’re doing.
“The plan at the moment is that we won’t play on the pitch just because of the work that’s going on.”
Pitch removal and grading @MillwallFC @stevenchalk7 @MJAbbottLtd @iTurfManagement @SISPitches @PremierPitches pic.twitter.com/Dlust008Yi
— Nathan George (@nath135) May 13, 2021
Image: Millwall FC