Travel advice from Ged Poynton

(LFC stadium manager and safety officer for those who don't know)

Fans flying on official trips will be taken to the Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen airport, which will exclusively serve Liverpool supporters travelling to the Champions League final and is situated in the Asian side of the city.

When fans leave this country, it's imperative they have their pbuttport, obviously, and a photocopy of the page in the pbuttport which carries your image, name and address address?. This will be stamped as a visa, free of charge, when you come off the charter flight as a fast-track method of getting into the country. If you haven't got a copy then you'll have to join the visa queue, which could take a long time and they'll charge you the equivalent of £10 in Turkish lira.

Any fans going independently will have to queue at a visa stall and pay the normal visa price of £10 if they come into the international airport, which is not the one taking supporters on the official trip.

When you arrive, we strongly recommend you have a match ticket. I don't want fans arriving without a ticket because that puts pressure on the authorities and it's a bad image for the club.

there are a couple of flights going over on Monday but more will go on Tuesday and the biggest number on the day of the match. We anticipate about 70 charter planes, which should carry between 12-14,000 people.

We expect about 6,000 to make their way independently, many coming via countries like Romania, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. We also know there are a number of charters from Ireland and Scandinavia. The interest in this game is huge.

There will be buses from the airports when you arrive. These will take you to Taksem Square in the centre of Istanbul. That's where fans can socialise and there will be entertainment put on.

If you venture away from there, by (sic) very mindful of what's what. People may want to go and visit the Grand Bazaar and various areas of Istanbul, but the area where entertainment will be and the mbutt of Liverpool fans is Taksem Square.

About 100 meters from Taksem Square is where all the buses will stay and they'll ferry fans to the stadium of the day of the game, from 4pm onwards.

Be mindful that the stadium is 22 kilometres away. This isn't a case of catching a tram or a bus or the underground to a stadium 5 minutes away. There is no public transport which means there are no trains, trolley buses, trams, etc. There are taxis but I could imagine them being at a premium and they will charge you a fortune - the equivalent of £25, £30, maybe £40, if you can get one.

It's important the fans do take the transport that is laid on - don't miss it. It's a long way and I think they'll have to queue when they get to the stadium because there are only two roads leading to it.

There will be an 8,000sq-mt marquee at the stadium, providing entertainment and refreshments. Otherwise, the area outside the stadium is a wilderness; there are mbuttive car park areas but getting there is difficult.

One of the things the authorities have stressed strongly is that fans arriving with big bags won't get in. You are better going to the marquee with the minimum amount. Normal refreshments should be okay.

Flags and banners will be accepted but make sure there is nothing controversial on the banner. Large poles and sticks will not be accepted. Normal ground regulations which we have in this country regarding cans, bottles, fireworks, pyrotechnics and knives will be in force.

Thinking forward to after the match, even though this is a vast area, all the coaches will be parked in one area. The 500 coaches earmarked for Liverpool fans will be queued together. Most will have signs identifying the company running them, such as Lonsdal. The rest will be free buses which will take you back to the airport. Some will take you to the city. I would say take your time and be mindful of which bus you came on. People will have to be patient - you are not going to get away early because there are only two roads out. It's going to take a long time.

They want to be able to steward and police this event in a very fair, friendly and positive way. We do not want to see major numbers of officers in riot gear. You will probably find few police officers but there will be 2,000 stewards on duty - stewards over there have more in common with security guards. If there is an issue, the police will appear.

Fans are being advised that wearing a Fez could offend the Turkish people. This is something the authorities have brought to our attention.

Let's conduct ourselves in a manner in keeping with the good name of Liverpool Football Club. Consider others, and, above all, enjoy the atmosphere and the occasion.

-- "I don't know all the cities in England, of course, but I do get the feeling that Liverpool is something special." - Salif Diao