Up to 10,000 Manchester United fans are expected to travel to Rome without tickets for next week's Champions League final against Barcelona, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said yesterday.

In a statement, the Foreign Office warned fans which metro stops and other areas of the city to avoid because of the fears of widespread trouble surrounding the match in the Italian capital.

There have been many stabbings, fights, muggings and thefts involving overseas fans in Rome for a number of years and the Foreign Office has warned United fans to take every precaution.

Typical of the advice handed out is: "Do not take the metro to the Piazzale Flaminio or use the Ponte Duca D'Aosta bridge as there has been trouble along this route to the stadium on many occasions."

UEFA threatened to take the final off Rome if Roma's Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United last season was marred by a repeat of the violence that hit United's previous two visits.

That did not happen but Arsenal fans were attacked before their team knocked out Roma in a last-16 second leg in March.

In a statement, the FCO says it is worried about the number of fans making the trip which it estimates will be 30,000. Twenty thousand fans are expected to travel with tickets.

"Whilst last year's Champions League final in Moscow saw exemplary behaviour from British fans, the Foreign Office is concerned that the sheer amount of fans travelling to Rome could lead to safety issues in the Italian capital," the FCO said in the statement.

"It has therefore worked in close collaboration with the Italian authorities to put in place stringent safety plans, as well as offering crucial tips and advice to fans before they travel. These can be seen in full on a dedicated webpage on the FCO website ( www.fco.gov.uk/football )."

Gianni Alemanno, the mayor of Rome, said: "We are delighted to be hosting such a fantastic event and we have worked hard to ensure that all visitors have an enjoyable and trouble-free stay in our city.

"Rome welcomes the British fans with open arms, and we look forward to celebrating this great sporting festival together."

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