Tickets

United have got 2,590 tickets at £50 and 200 tickets at £92.

They have all been sold.

Anyone who got a ticket will have recently got a letter with a ticket voucher enclosed.

They must fill in a travel report form here by 08:00 on February 13.

They must take their voucher and their passport to the ticket collection point in order to pick up their ticket (see below for more).

TV
Channel 5 and Channel 5 HD will show this match live.

Weather
This section will be updated five days before the game

Travel From the airports Amsterdam Schiphol
It’s 5.6 miles south west of the city centre.

The simplest way to get into town is by train.

From 06:00 to 23:00 on weekdays, trains from the airport to Amsterdam Centraal run every 15 minutes and the journey takes 18 minutes.

Buy your ticket from a ticket machine in the station concourse. You have to pay e0.50 extra if you buy from a member of staff over the counter.

Don’t forget to stamp your ticket before you leave using one of the little yellow boxes at the platform entrance.

There are a couple of buses that go into town, but they take about 40 minutes.

Taxis from outside the terminal generally take about 30 minutes to reach the city centre and can cost e40.

You can hire cars via SixT from the airport.

If you would like help planning your route to Amsterdam from other airports, email redsaway@hotmail.co.uk

Orientation
From Amsterdam Centraal Station, all the action is immediately to the south.

Standing with your back to the station entrance, you’ll see a canal in front of you.

If you cross it, then turn right and walk a long for two minutes you’ll see on your left eight streets divided by more waterways.

These streets are generally where everything happens after dark in Amsterdam.

You’ve got casinos, nightclubs, coffee houses, pubs, hotels, woman casually dancing in their underwear and lots of locals and tourists looking for a good time.

Apart from the train station, Dam Square is a decent meeting point. It’s a 10-minute walk from the station, has its own tram stop and is a landmark everyone in the city can direct you to.

Things to do in the city
Reds Away has been talking to some in-the-know locals to find out the best places to go in Amsterdam. Here is our guide.

Atmosphere
Mostly, people are friendly and will help you get around. Almost everyone speaks English and they are used to tourists in their city.

But Ajax do have a bit of a reputation for a hooligan element and there is potential for one or two confrontations around the stadium before and after the game, though it should be quiet in the city centre.

Transport
You can walk around the city easy enough, but otherwise use overground trams.

They run regularly from 06:00 to 00:15 daily and you buy your tickets onboard from a conductor.

The Metro system is for those who want to go out of town (you’ll probably only need it when you go to the stadium).

The Metro
It runs from 06:30 to 00:15 daily.

The easiest ticket to get is a Dagkaarten. This a ticket that will allow you to use any Metro or tram within a single day. It costs e6.50 and you can get it from any train station ticket office or machine.

Ticket collection point
It is at Ajax’s stadium and, though the opening hours are yet to be confirmed, we are confident that it will be open on the day before the game from 10:00 to 18:00 and on the day of the game from 10:00 to just before kick off.

Three things to bear in mind

- it’s really easy to get to the stadium so don’t leave it til an hour before kick off to get up there and collect your ticket

- the stadium is part of a wider shopping and social complex. There’s an old-fashioned hut where the Ajax ultras go before the game and, providing you keep a low profile, you could enjoy a pint in there or perhaps visit the nearby shops.

- The stadium has a museum showcasing the rich history of Ajax. Entry is e3 and a one four 45-minute tour of the stadium costs e9.

Reaching the stadium
From Amsterdam Centraal, take the green or yellow lines. The journey takes about 15 minutes.

You can either travel eight stops and get off at Strandvliet/ArenA (this is the nearest stop to the away end) or nine stops and get off at Bijlmer (this is nearer to the shops and bars and you will have to walk all the way around the ground to get to the collection point. You can see it in the picture).

The ticket collection point is by Entrance K of the stadium. This is where the away end is (at the point where the North Stand meets the West Stand).

After the game
We expected reds will be kept in the stadium for between 15 minutes and 30 minutes. The Metro will be running back into the city centre until 00:15.

Practical information
e1 is currently worth 83p and £1 is currently worth e1.20 Try Althams or the Post Office for the best currency exchange rates.
In an emergency call 112
Police station: At Elandsgracht 117
Hospital: OLVG Hospital at Eerste Oosterparkstraat 279
The British Consultate has published this guide to dealing with situations when things go wrong

To call a UK phone from Holland, take off the first 0 and then add 0044 to your number.
To call a Dutch number from a UK mobile, start with 003120 and then put in the remaining seven digits.

But then when the round of 36 draw took place, the mood switched from disappointment to euphoria.

And that’s all down to the venue – the great city of Amsterdam.

So what is there to do there?

Well, you’ve heard of the coffee houses and the naked dancers by the canals – and you’ll find them easily enough on your own.

Reds Away has been speaking to some locals to uncover the hidden gems of the city.

Joe Wegecsanyi (pictured), a 24-year-old writer, says: “If you’re going to the game then you jump on the Metro and get off at the Arena.

“It’s going to be absolutely crazy.

“Amsterdam goes up a gear when Ajax play and even more so when it’s an English club.

“The riot police often come out in the Red Light District so it’s probably better to stay away from it.

“The coolest lounge pub, which also serves food and at which you can smoke and drink is called cafe Batavia 1920 and is at Prins Hendrikkade 85, near the Church of St Nicholas.

“They’ve always got the football on as well.

“If you want a good insight into the city, it’s best to go on a free tour, which leave from Dam square (pictured) at 11am and 1pm every day.

“It’s free but the guides ask for tips and it’s usually expected to tip at least e5 per person.

“It’s easily the best thing you can do to get an insight into the city in a really great way, in a very short time.

“A really cool area for restaurants is De Pijp, a little south of the city. You can get there by taking the tram south to Albert Cuypstraat stop.

Also De Jordaan is beautiful, especially at night.

“It is to the west of the city centre close to where the Anne Frank House museum is.”

Annette Kors, a 34-year-old product manager, recommends checking out the website iamsterdam.com where you’ll find some top tips on what’s on and what the city has to offer.

The website has advice on the best hotels, the most unusual museums and lots of other items of interest.

Forty-one-year-old Marc de Jong recommends the Beer Cafe Gollem at Raamsteeg 4.

“It is probably the cosiest in town,” he said.

He added: “Forget all the fakers, Mulligans Irish Music Bar (pictured) at is the only real Irish pub in town.

“It is well known in Dublin even and plays daily free Irish traditional music.”

On the night of the game, musician Dan Donnelly will perform a set at 21:30.

The pub opens at 16:00 and closes at 01:00.

They might make an exception if there are a lot of reds around.

Another good area for pubs is Newmarkt, where there is the Heineken Bar, Cafe Cuba and a few other large bars on the same row.

This is an excellent meeting place for reds.

Mark (pictured) adds: “Ever eaten at a 5-star restaurant for a no-star price?

“The Hotelschool, Da Costastraat 60, serves quality on weekdays for cheap.

“Lunch is noon to 14:00, dinner is 18:00 to 21:30. Reserve well in advance.

“Eat good on the street for €3,50 at all MAOZ falafel cafeterias (Muntplein, Leidsestraat, Ferdinand Bolstraat, Eerste van der Helststraat, Van Woustraat).

“It allows allows unlimited saladbar-refills.

“Best lunchrooms in the center is Lef at Wijde Heisteeg 1.

“It’a small and colourful place with good, fresh food and great drinks.

“Try the Vissadopoulos and the strawberry smoothie.

“The best chips in town are at Vlaamse Friteshuis (pictured) at Voetboogstraat 33.

“The best ice cream stand in town at the Australian Homemade at Spui 5.”

As scheduled, the Victoria Line is closed all day and parts of the Central Line aren’t running.

Now, the Tube is reporting severe delays on the District Line between Whitechapel and Upminster due to a shortage of staff.

This section of the District Line is to the far east of London but it is having a knock-on effect to services between Embankment and Fulham Broadway.

The Piccadilly Line is also closed between Arnos Grove and Hyde Park Corner due to a fire alert.

For those reds arriving into Euston, Reds Away recommends you:
Walk to Euston Square
Take the Circle Line or the Hammersmith and City Line westbound to Hammersmith
Take the District Line towards Wimbledon and get off at either West Brompton or Fulham Broadway.

They are all in the Shed End corner, split between the upper and lower tiers.

They cost £59 and £56 for adults, £25 for over 65s and for under 16s.

All tickets have been sold and the home end is also sold out.

TV
Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports HD1 and Sky 3D will show this match, with coverage starting at 15:30.

BBC2 will show highlights on its Match of the Day 2 programme starting at 22:00.

Go to Wiziwig or First Row Sports for online streams.

Travel Tube update
All lines are running as they normally would on a Sunday except for these two exceptions:

The Central Line will be closed between Haiunault and Woodford all day.
The Victoria Line will be closed

Reds shouldn’t need any of these lines.

Car – £80
If you’re using a satnav or online routeplanner, use the destination postcode SW6 1HS.

The journey will cost about £35 each way, plus £4 each way extra if you decide to take the M6 Toll.

The general route is M6 -> M42 -> M6 -> M1 -> M25 to J15 -> M4 -> A4.

Then follow the M4 which becomes the A4 up to Hammersmith.

Stay on it over the Hammersmith Flyover and for a further 1.5 miles before turning off for Earl’s Court.

Go past Earl’s Court station and down the one-way system until you hit Fulham Road, turn right at the traffic lights.

Go straight on for 600 yards and the ground is on your right. Parking is difficult very close to the ground so you may want to look a bit further away.

Parking

Street parking is very limited near the ground as there are many controlled parking zones in residential areas.

Parking on designated car parks isn’t cheap either.

For example, if you park ten minutes away on the Chelsea Cloisters car park, in Sloane Avenue, it costs £21.50 for four hours.

There is no easy or cheap option for parking in this area of London, so we recommend parking on street elsewhere or parking at a Tube station for as little as £1 for the day and finishing your journey by Tube.

Here is a list of stations.

Train – £72.60
There are two ways to get there:

Option 1
On the day at Manchester Piccadilly, pay £74.20 for a off-peak day return to London Euston

Manchester Piccadilly to Euston
Leave: 08:04, 08:20, 09:20, 10:20, 10:35, 11:15, 11:35
Arrive: 10:57, 11:02, 12:08, 12:56, 13:00, 13:28, 13:47
Duration: 2:53, 2:42, 2:48, 2:36, 2:25, 2:13, 2:12

Leave: 11:55, 12:15. 12:35, 12:55, 13:15
Arrive: 14:09, 14:27, 14:47, 15:09, 15:27
Duration: 2:14, 2:12, 2:12, 2:14, 2:12

At Euston, transfer to the Tube and buy a one-day off-peak ‘day off peak’ travelcard covering zones 1 and 2.for £7. Take the Northern Line five stops south and get off at Embankment.

Then take the District line eight stops south (make sure it has Wimbledon on the front) and get off at Fulham Broadway. The tube leg of the journey should take about 30 minutes.

Turn left out of the station and walk down Fulham Road. The ground is on your left. It will take five minutes to walk.

After the game, take the Tube back to Euston. It will probably take you a good half hour to get there due to queuing.

Then:

London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly
Leave: 18:15, 18:35, 18:55, 19:15
Arrive: 20:29, 2:15, 2:14, 2:14
Duration: 2:14, 2:15, 2:14, 2:14

Leave: 19:35, 19:55, 20:15, 20:35
Arrive: 21:50, 22:09, 22:29, 22:57
Duration: 2:15, 2:14, 2:14, 2:22

Leave: 21:25, 21:51
Arrive: 00:12, 1:00
Duration: 2:45, 3:09

Option 2:
On the day at Manchester Piccadilly, pay £72.60 for an off-peak day return to West Brompton

Service 1: (3:40)
Leave Picaddilly: 08:04
Arrive Watford Junction: 10:34
Leave: 10:41
Arrive Willesden Junction 11:12
Leave: 11:32
Arrive West Brompton 11:44

Service 2 (3:30)
Leave Piccadilly: 08:20
Arrive Watford Junction: 10:41
Leave: 11;12
Arrive West Brompton 11:50

Service 3 (3:23)
Leave Piccadilly: 08:27
Arrive Crewe: 09:01
Leave: 09:13
Arrive Watford Junction: 11:16
Leave: 11:22
Arrive West Brompton: 11:50

Service 4 (3:30)
Leave Piccadilly: 09:20
Arrive Milton Keynes Central: 11:16
Leave: 11:24
Arrive Watford Junction: 12:06
Leave: 12:22
Arrive West Brompton: 12:50

Service 5 (3:24)
Leave Piccadilly: 10:20
Arrive Watford Junction: 12:35
Leave: 12:41
Arrive Willesden Junction: 13:12
Leave: 13:32
Arrive West Brompton: 13:44

Service 6 (3:30)
Leave Piccadilly: 10:20
Arrive Watford Junction: 12:35
Leave: 13:22
Arrive: West Brompton

Service 7 (3:15)
Leave Piccadilly: 10:35
Arrive: Milton Keynes Central: 12:21
Leave: 12:41
Arrive Watford Junction: 13:17
Leave: 13:22
Arrive West Brompton: 13:50

Service 8 (3:23)
Leave Piccadilly: 11:27
Arrive Birmingham International: 13:13
Leave: 13:20
Arrive Watford Junction: 14:16
Leave: 14:22
Arrive West Brompton: 14:50

Come out of the station and turn left onto Lillie Street. After the cemetery, turn right onto Finborough Road and then turn right onto Fulham Road. It’s a 15-minute walk.

Getting home
Service 1 (3:17)
Leave West Brompton: 18:12
Arrive Watford Junction 18:44
Leave: 18:50
Arrive Milton Keynes Central: 19:27
Leave: 19:48
Arrive Manchester Piccadilly: 21:29

Service 2 (3:17)
Leave West Brompton: 19:12
Arrive Watford Junction 19:43
Leave: 19:51
Arrive Milton Keynes Central: 20:27
Leave: 20:48
Arrive Manchester Piccadilly: 22:29

Service 3 (4:08)
Leave West Brompton: 20:52
Arrive Willesden Junction: 21:08
Leave: 21:18
Arrive Harrow and Wealdstone: 21:33
Leave: 21:40
Arrive Milton Keynes Central: 22:30
Leave: 22:38
Arrive Manchester Piccadilly: 01:00

Matchday coach – £25
The Betty Bus leaves from Chorlton Street Coach Station in Manchester City Centre at 08:30 and then collects from the Bishop’s Blaize pub in Chester Road, Trafford, at 8:45. Places cost £30 per person.

Coaches leave from the Old Trafford W2 car park at a time still to be confirmed. Places cost £37 per person. It is sold out.

Champion Sport Tours has two coaches going to this game.

Option 1
Coaches leave from outside the Bishop’s Blaize pub at a time to be confirmed and places cost £25. The coaches will drop off at the Blaize and in Manchester City Centre after the game.

Option 2
Coaches leave from outside the Bishop’s Blaize pub at a time to be confirmed on the day before the game.

This is a special overnight coach tour for this game in memory of reds favourite Duncan Edwards.

Edwards played for United under Sir Matt Busby and made 151 appearances between 1953 and 1958, scoring 20 times.

The coaches will visit Edward’s hometown of Dudley

Reds will visit Edwards’ graveside to lay a wreath and then go onto St Francis Church where this is a stained glass window of Edwards.

The coach will also see a statute of Edwards in the city centre and will visit the Duncan Edwards and Local Sporting Heroes Gallery.

The cost, which includes one night in a hotel, costs £90 per person based on two people sharing.

To book, call 0161 282 1966 or email debbue@mufctravel.com

Public coach and Tube – £25.25
Megabus runs between Manchester Shudehill Interchange and London Victoria Coach Station

There are five coaches going and four coming back

Leave Manchester: 04:30, 06:20, 07:40, 09:10, 10:30
Arrive London: 08:30, 10:55, 12:30, 14:00, 15:00
Journey time: 4:00, 4:35, 4:50, 4:50, 4:50
One-way price: All £10

Leave: London: 18:30, 19:30, 21:00, 23:00
Arrive: Manchester:23:00, 00:00, 01:30, 03:00
Journey time: 4:30, 4:30, 4:30, 4:00
One-way price: £15, £13, £13, £10

National Express runs between Manchester Chorlton Street Coach Station and London Victoria Coach Station

here are six coaches going and one coming back, though we recommend the Megabus service above because it departs later, arrives later and costs more.

Leave Manchester: 04:00, 05:45, 08:00, 09:30
Arrive London: 08:45, 10:50, 13:20, 14:50
Journey time: 4:45, 5:05, 5:20, 5:20
One-way price: £11.75, £6.50, £6.50, £10.50

Leave: London: 19:00, 19:30, 21:30
Arrive: Manchester: 23:50, 00:30, 01:45
Journey time: 4:50, 5:00, 4:15
One-way price: £12.50, £11.75, £12:50

From Victoria, walk the short distance to Victoria Tube and buy a one-day off-peak ‘day off peak’ travelcard covering zones 1 and 2.for £7..

Then take the District line westbound to Fulham Broadway. (Make sure you board the Wimbledon-bound train).

Plane and Tube – £46 one way or £124 return
The only real option for a decent price is this:

Leave Manchester: 13:45
Arrive Heathrow: 14:50
Airline: flybmi
One-way cost: £39

From Heathrow, go onto the Tube and take the Piccadilly Line 13 stops north to Earls Court, then transfer to the District Line and take it two stops south to Fulham Broadway for the ground. Follow the reverse for the airport.

Buy a single ticket on each leg of the journey for £7 each way.

On the way back
Leave Heathrow: 20:00
Arrive Manchester: 21:00
Airline: British Airways
One-way price: £81