More than a million soccer fans descended on Munich Saturday as Chelsea and Bayern Munich prepared to face one another in this year's Champions League final.
Fans spilled into the German city for the showcase final which will be played at Bayern's 67,000-seat home stadium, the Allianz Arena. The arena was chosen to host the game before the competition started.
Chelsea's allocation of 17,500 tickets was snapped up by loyal fans who met the criteria of having attended the required number of previous games.
It meant demand for black market tickets has been high among the thousands of fans of the west London club without a match ticket.
One supporter, Mark Robins, was wandering the main squares in Munich with a placard offering €2,000 -- the equivalent of £1,600 ($2,500) -- for a pair of genuine tickets. "It is such a big game," he told Sky News.
Chelsea has only ever reached one European Cup final before, when the team was beaten on penalties by Manchester United in Moscow in 2008.
The London club's fans may be outnumbered in Munich, but they are in high spirits and confident their team can pull off an upset.
"We had a good night last night, the Germans are as good as gold," said Colin Butler, from Essex, southeast England.
He picked out striker Didier Drogba as the key man for Chelsea. "This could be the Drogba final, if he's on form we can do it," he said.
Chelsea fanatic Doug Dimitriou, from Fulham in west London, went to his first game in 1954.
"I've seen them win every trophy apart from this one, I've got a feeling this year it is going to be ours," he said.
But Andy Pfaff, 23, who rides a rickshaw around Munich, is confident his beloved German club can win. "After Oktoberfest this is the biggest night of the year in Munich," he said.
"I've been taking many Chelsea around our city and they are good fans, but they will leave here disappointed."
German police have asked all fans to enjoy the occasion but warned any trouble would be dealt with firmly. An extra 2,000 officers are on duty to ensure the final passes off peacefully.
