Gillingham are heading to Italy for pre-season training and will play Serie B side Como 1907

Italy beckons for Gillingham as they head abroad as part of their preparations for their League 2 season.

Neil Harris’ men are heading to Como on Sunday for the start of a pre-season training camp and will play the Serie B outfit on Wednesday afternoon.

Several hundred Gillingham fans are making the trip to follow their team to the lakeside resort in northern Italy.

Harris has plenty planned for his side before the match at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, using Como’s facilities to prepare for their second pre-season match. Their first was a 4-0 win over Dover.

The Gills boss said: “We have pitch sessions planned for the lads, gym sessions, video meetings and we can bed in some ideas as well, then time around it for the guys to develop as a group and be together a lot.

“It is good for me to get to know my players, especially my new ones well.

“We have a fantastic game on Wednesday, a tough game against a really good side and it will be a physical encounter in the heat, but also an opportunity to see where we are at against a top level opposition as well.

“I am expecting a safe trip, for my lads to turn up on time, that’s a big thing when you’re a manager! You’re worrying about 30-odd people getting to the airport, you want them to turn up in one piece and on time, certainty with their passports.

“It should be a mega week - I am looking forward to it and then we’re going into two really tough home games against Millwall (July 15) and Charlton (July 18) afterwards, so what an opportunity in that six games, Como away, Charlton and Millwall home, it’s a top level pre-season programme.”

The Gills haven’t ventured far for pre-season in recent years, with the odd trip to Calais and slightly further down to Le Touquet.

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