Liverpool are having to put tickets for the Champions League Final on sale despite the fact that they still have to meet Chelsea in the semi-finals and are not guaranteed an appearance in Moscow. The Anfield club are "uncomfortable" with the instructions, issued by Uefa, but problems with the processing of visa applications to get into Russia, with the final on May 21, has forced the issue.

Uefa have now told all four semi-finalists to seek ticket requests from fans now. Manchester United have already made their ticket information available to their supporters and both Chelsea and Barcelona are expected to announce their plans over the coming days.

"The tickets have got to go on sale now because of Uefa visa requirements." Rick Parry, the Liverpool chief executive, said. "Uefa have insisted that we provide them with details the day after the second leg of the semi-final in order to process visas. There is no alternative for us but to start now, however uncomfortable we might feel. This is not the way we would prefer to do it because we do feel uncomfortable about it, but we have no choice."

Liverpool will be allocated 21,000 tickets if they reach the final and requests for an increased number have already been rejected by Uefa.

Having been heavily criticised for the way tickets were distributed ahead of the Athens final last season, Liverpool have taken on board fans' concerns this time around. "All season ticket and fan card holders who have been to six Champions League games will definitely qualify for a ticket and all season-ticket holders who have been to five games are invited to apply for a ticket," Parry said.

However, the qualifying match against Toulouse and the semi-final against Chelsea do not count towards this. Season-ticket holders who have attended five Champions League games will get priority, and applications will be selected on a random basis.

Parry was heavily criticised for last season's distribution of final tickets, and Tom Hicks, the club's co-owner, mentioned that problem in his letter last week demanding Parry's resignation.