Albion are heading to Holland and Germany for a pre-season tour as they kick off their preparations for the Premier League.

The Baggies will take on former European Cup finalists Borussia Moenchengladbach and fellow German side FC Koln in friendlies early next month.

They will also spend a week training in Holland, just over the border from Germany.

Sporting and technical director Dan Ashworth said: “Every year we like to do something a little bit different.

“This is an opportunity for us to take advantage of an excellent hotel and training facilities, which were checked out by coach Craig Shakespeare in advance.

“We will face two testing games, which fit in well with our Premier League preparations.”

Albion will be based a few miles into Holland but will cross the border into Germany for their matches against Bundesliga opposition on July 16 and July 19, which will both be staged at neutral venues.

They will take on Moenchengladbach at the Hubert Houben Stadium in Goch on July 16.

They return to Germany to take on Koln – the native spelling of Cologne – three days later.

The players will fly to Europe on July 13 to spend three days at their Dutch training base before the opening match against Moenchengladbach, returning to England on July 20.

The more glamorous meeting is clearly the match against Moenchengladbach, who are five-times champions of Germany and twice winners of the UEFA Cup.

They are most famous in England for losing the 1977 European Cup Final to Liverpool in Rome. Like Koln, they have just been promoted back to the German top flight.

Borussia finished six points clear at the top of Bundesliga 2 last season, with Koln promoted from third place.