While Britons have been worrying about the logistics of getting around Moscow, the language barrier, and the possibility of police violence, Russia has been gearing up for the biggest English invasion in its history. With the riots by Glasgow Rangers fans after Zenit St Petersburg's Uefa Cup triumph in Manchester last week fresh in the memory, the city that has survived invasions by Napoleon and Hitler was waking up to the magnitude of the latest influx.

Some officials appear to have only just realised what they might be letting themselves in for. The Minister for Sport, Vitaly Mutko, said last week he was "shocked" by the behaviour of Rangers fans in Manchester. "They were behaving awfully and relieving themselves in the street," he said. He called on visiting fans to take the behaviour of Zenit's fans in Manchester as an example.

There has been little trouble so far, but the real test will come this evening. Those arriving on charter flights will be taken by bus to fan zones where alcohol will be forbidden and there will be no mingling between rival supporters. But those making their own way to the ground will have plenty of drinking time before the kick-off at 10.45pm local time.

In Red Square, where less than a fortnight ago Vladimir Putin and the new President, Dmitry Medvedev, surveyed a Victory Day parade of military hardware, the tanks have been replaced with a football pitch where youth teams played five-a-side matches yesterday. A giant cut-out of a football has joined St Basil's Cathedral and Lenin's Mausoleum on the square.

Most of those present were Russians, and the few English fans were tourist attractions in their own right. "Look, there are some real English skinheads," said a girl to her boyfriend, trying to photograph two tattooed, obese Chelsea fans on her mobile.

Visa requirements for those without tickets seem to have put off ticketless fans, driving down black-market prices. A fortnight ago tickets were changing hands for more than £1,000, but many local websites yesterday had offers for £500-£700.