Millwall boss reveals friendly strategy and discusses whether he already has starting 11 in mind for Stoke City opener

Gary Rowett is set to start tapering down the game time for some of his squad as he begins to focus on Millwall’s Championship opener against Stoke City.

The Lions have slotted in a friendly against Swedish side Hammarby IF at the Den next Wednesday (7pm).

The two clubs are both sponsored by HUSKI Chocolate. Only the Barry Kitchener Stand will be open for the match for the visit of Hammarby, who are halfway through their domestic season in the Allsvenskan.

Millwall head to Colchester United tonight (7.30pm) and their final tune up is at home to Ipswich Town on July 23 (3pm).

Lions boss Rowett split his squad for two matches on Tuesday, a 5-0 training ground victory over Bromley in the afternoon and then a 2-0 success at Dartford that evening.

“I think we’ll start moving towards some of the younger ones might not get as many minutes,” said Rowett. “Up until now we have tried to give everyone a fair crack of the whip, give them some minutes, and they’ve helped us to balance the teams out as well.

“But we might now start focusing on the ones we think will play come the first game of the season and start to use the first-team players, that’s not just the senior ones, a little bit more.

“Over the next two games we still need to mix the teams up a little bit and then we start looking towards the Ipswich game with more ideas of the starting 11.”

So does Rowett already have an inkling who will make the cut to feature against his former club?

“I’m not really thinking too much about a starting 11, I’m thinking more about who can play different roles for different games. Who can offer us something different and impact the game.

“This year I really think it is going to be about the squad. We’ve lost certain players and spoken previously about becoming stronger as a group and as a team. At the moment I’m looking at probably 18 or 19 players who could all start and all be just as good as the other.

“I don’t think whatever you see in the next two or three games, or even Stoke and the next couple after that, will be the finished 11. Everybody will play their part and be really, really important.”

Hammarby have filled the void left by Watford cancelling facing the Lions on the same date.

“They pulled out and it left us in the lurch a little bit but it is great to organise this match instead,” said Rowett. “I believe Hammarby have got a cup game on a grass pitch and they have a 4G surface.

“So it is good for them as well. It will be nice to have that link up and a sharing of ideas.”