Yuri Luzhkov, the Mayor of Moscow, does not much resemble the Wizard of Oz but fans of Chelsea and Manchester United are following the yellow brick road to get to the Luzhniki Stadium for the final.

City authorities have put a massive transport operation into place to cope with the wave of charter flights carrying fans to the Russian capital for tomorrow's Champions League final.

About 1,000 buses have been commandered from the city's public transport system to meet fans at the airports - Chelsea's arrive at Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo in the north of the capital and United's at Domodedovo in the south. Convoys of buses will then set off on Moscow's traffic-choked roads, following a trail of yellow squares along the route painted with a red image of the trophy.

The 166 yellow symbols are supposed to guide the coaches along roads designated by the city council as the most direct routes to the stadium. Initial plans to cordon off special Champions League lanes for rapid transfers were abandoned, however, as too disruptive to traffic.

Moscow's three mobile telephone operators are also gearing up for a surge in traffic as up to 50,000 English fans call and text friends and family at home to tell them about their experiences.

English fans arriving at Vnukovo airport were of less interest to Russians than the return of the country's all-conquering ice hockey squad after winning the World Championships in Canada for the first time in 15 years. Russian television devoted more attention to the return of the victorious squad than to the English supporters.