Down to the West End

Chelsea

Stamford Bridge

Sunday September 21, 2008

Kick off 2pm

Tickets

Stamford Bridge has a capacity of 42,005. United fans have got approximately 3,000 of those, which are in the upper and lower sections of the Shed End and are priced at £45.

All tickets are sold out and everyone who applied will have, by now, found out if they were successful through the usual channels.

The going rate for touted tickets is £260 in the home end and £370 in the away end.

Travel

Train - £67.70

The standard route is: Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston and then on to Fulham Broadway via the London Underground.

On a Sunday, you're looking at a four-and-a-half-hour journey.

Option 1

Leave Piccadilly at 08:08, arrive Stafford at 09:24. Leave Stafford at 09:39, arrive Euston at 12:32

Option 2

Leave Piccadilly at 09:00, arrive Euston at 12:57

Option 3

Leave Piccadilly at 09:44, arrive Euston at 13:24

If you take up any of these options, an off-peak return will cost you £62.40.

On the Underground from Euston, take the Northern Line south and get off at Embankment. Then take the District Line and get off at Fulham Broadway.

Services leave every four minutes and it takes 33 minutes from Euston to Fulham Broadway.

Get an off-peak two-zone one-day travelcard for £5.30, otherwise the journey will cost you £8 - unless you have an Oyster Card, in which it would be £3.

Homeward bound, direct trains leave Euston at 17:10, 18:10, 18: 52, 19:10 and 19:52

Coach - £24.40

The club executive coach costs £30 and leaves from Old Trafford N2 car park at 7.30am and is expected to arrive back at 9.30pm. To book, call 0161 868 8000 option 1 and speak to an advisor.

The Red Issue coach is sold out.

National Express runs services between Chorlton Street and London Victoria for £24.40.

Outward services are:

Leave 06:45, arrive 11:35

Leave 08:00, arrive 13:00

Homebound service are:

Leave 17:00, arrive 22: 10 (this includes changing coaches in Birmingham and a 40-minute wait there)

Leave 17:30, arrive 22:40

Leave 19:00, arrive 23:35

From there, it's a two-minute walk to Victoria Tube Station. Take the District Line towards Wimbledon and get off at Fulham Broadway. It takes 14 minutes and services leave roughly every 15 minutes. Get an off-peak two-zone one-day travelcard for £5.30

Or you can catch the 211 bus to Waterloo, which drops you near to the ground. A return ticket will cost you roughly £2. Buses are free for under 16s.

Megabus runs services between Chorlton Street and London Victoria but there are none leaving on the day of the game that will get you there before kick off and there are no return services after the game.

But you can go on Saturday and return on Monday for £16, though it would obviously mean staying over in a hostel or a hotel.

Car - £69.04

If you're using a satnav or route planner, put in the postcode SW6 1HS. Return fuel cost will be £69.04 if you don't use the M6 toll road, and £77.04 if you do.

The journey time via the M6 toll is three hours and 38 minutes.

Parking is extremely limited as many of the side streets off Fulham Road are either gated off or have parking restrictions.

Flight - £181.80

BMI and British Airways both fly from Manchester to London Heathrow and London Gatwick, though most of the flights are more than £100 each way, so I wouldn't recommend it unless you've got loads of cash but little time.

The best deal on this route is on British Airways, leaving Manchester at 10.30, arriving Gatwick at 11.30am - £93.65 and then leaving Gatwick at 21:05, arriving Manchester at 22:05 - £88.15.