Newly-crowned English champions Manchester United face Chelsea, the team that pushed them for the title all the way to the final match day of the season, in what promises to be an epic encounter in the Champions League final on May 21. The game will be played at the city's Luzhniki stadium.
"The fans have already been put on buses and are heading to their respective accommodation with a traffic-police escort," said a Domodedovo airport representative, adding that the airport was expecting to greet some 100 charter planes before the final.
The Russian authorities have ruled that fans in possession of a match ticket will not need a visa to enter Russia for the final. Some 40,000 English fans are expected to pour into Moscow for the game.
Luzhniki authorities announced on Monday that over 500,000 flowers had been used to decorate the stadium complex.
Moscow police are also prepared to meet the English fans, whose reputation for violence and drunkenness precedes them, announcing that 65,000 video cameras would be installed all over the city to monitor the behavior of the fans.
"Practically the whole city will be under video surveillance," said Vyacheslav Kozlov, Moscow deputy police chief.
Both Manchester United and Chelsea are expected to arrive in Moscow today.
Russian authorities, especially wary after the trouble that marred last Wednesday's UEFA Cup final in Manchester, have opened a Champions League village on Red Square in what has been seen as an attempt to keep the English fans in one place and under control.
The 'village' will feature a celebrity match between Russian football legends and European football greats on the day of the big game.
Slovakia's Lubos Michel will referee the final.
