Thousands of fans set for Dublin Europa League
The winning team will lift the Europa League trophy
- Published
Tens of thousands of football fans have been arriving in Dublin ahead of final of the Uefa Europa League.
German Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen will take on Italian side Atalanta at the Aviva Stadium in the conclusion of the second most-prestigious Europe-wide club football competition.
It is the second time the event has been held in Dublin, following Porto's victory over Braga in 2011.
Each club has been given 12,000 tickets each, while thousands of others were sold earlier in the year.
In total 48,000 people are expected to attend.
An Garda Síochána (Irish police) has warned people to expect delays due to heavy traffic in the city centre and the area around the Aviva Stadium.
Bayer Leverkusen fans have been soaking up the atmosphere in Dublin
Where is the fanzone?
The official fan festival is at Dublin Castle, it opened on Tuesday and closes at 17:00 on Wednesday.
There are a series of events and activities, but the match will not be broadcast there.
The official meeting point for Atalanta fans before the match is RDS Simmonscourt, while Leverkusen fans are being directed to Shelbourne Park.
A giant oversized version of the Europa League trophy is on display in North Earl Street all day on Wednesday.
Fans have been encouraged to use public transport or to walk to the stadium, with ticketholders entitled to free public transport all day on Wednesday.