Fans gather for Bayer-Real final

Figo warms up for the final

GLASGOW, Scotland -- Thousands of German and Spanish fans are crowding Glasgow bars and streets ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League final between Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid.

Hotels, bars and restaurants have been cashing in as flag-waving fans swamp the city centre. Referring to the invasion of the pubs, a headline in the Daily Record said: "Spanish Bar-Mada."

Celebrity supporters expected to attend the match include Real fan King Juan Carlos of Spain, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Germany's Formula One champion Michael Schumacher and former James Bond Sir Sean Connery.

Hundreds of millions of fans worldwide are expected to watch the game on television.

Real, in their centenary season, are favourites to win Europe's top club competition for a record ninth time at Hampden Park, scene of their 1960 7-3 triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt, a match widely acclaimed as the tournament's greatest. Some of the players in that match will take VIP seats on Wednesday.

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It is the biggest game in Bayer's history as the team, which includes five of Germany's World Cup squad, looks to overcome the bitterness of coming second in the German league and losing the domestic cup final.

To do that they will need to overcome a Real team packed with international stars including Frenchman Zinedine Zidane, Portugal's Luis Figo and Spanish striker Raul.

Wednesday's match marks the end of a nine-month Champions League campaign including two group stages and three rounds of knock-out ties.

Bayer beat 1999 champions Manchester United in the semifinals while Real put out Spanish rivals Barcelona.