Chelsea and United players warned Moscow pitch isn't safe for final

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The stadium groundsmen are in a race against time to improve the surface which has several bare patches and is very bumpy just two days before the match.

It is the same ground where England played their Euro 2008 qualifier on an artificial pitch against Russia last year, but it has now been relaid with turf shipped in from Slovakia.

Pitch battle: There is still plenty to be done in Moscow

The blocks of grass had been frozen for several days and they are now struggling to bed in to form an even surface.

English head groundsman Matthew Frost said: “It's not like one of the better Premier League pitches, far from it. Unfortunately things didn't work out. The ball may not travel perfectly like on a pitch that has been in situ for some time. There might be a bit of a bobble.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Steve McMahon was far more critical and fears for the players' safety.

He told Sky Sports News: “It's awful and embarrassing. There are undulations and, to be frank, it's very dangerous for the players if it stays the way it is. The players won't be happy.”