Zero tolerance: We’ll show you how to sort out hooligans, say Russians

Russian FA officials and police who travelled to England with Zenit St Petersburg last week were horrified by what they saw and have issued a new warning to the 40,000 English fans arriving in advance of the game at the Luzhniki Stadium. They have also admitted there could be revenge attacks by Russian hooligans.

Cause for concern: An injured Rangers fan lies on the ground amid the debris after violence flared in Manchester

Russian FA president Vitali Mutko said: "We drove through the centre of the city crowded with Rangers fans last week. Almost all of them were drunk and some were urinating in the streets.

"We saw teenagers with boxes of beer bottles. It was disgusting. Our fans are much more decent and we certainly don't want to see anything like this in Moscow.

"We'll do everything possible not to let anything untoward happen. But there are no guarantees. We have 6,000 police officers and interior ministry troopers to control the area in and around the stadium.

"More than 1,000 are going to patrol the most popular tourist attractions. Law enforcement numbers will be considerably larger than at any game of the Russian Premiership."

Both sets of fans have been issued with guidelines by their clubs, including advice on how to behave and a list of no-go areas.

Some have chosen not to go and United were still selling returned tickets for the game to the public on Monday morning.

But perhaps the biggest danger to those who are travelling is Russia's no-nonsense approach to alcohol. Public displays of drunkenness are frowned upon and English fans have been warned that they face being stripped and thrown into spartan 'sobering houses' if they get out of control.

Moscow's 'drink police' are known to trawl the city looking for the drunk, abusive or incapable. When they have been arrested, they are handcuffed and thrown in mobile cells.

When these are full, sobering houses are used and an enforced drying-out stint follows before offenders are released. The houses are bleak, unpleasant places where some offenders can even be stripped and chained to their beds.

Moscow's public safety department chief, Major Igor Konovalov, said: "If our laws are violated, we'll take the measures that are allowed by our law with no exceptions. If the fans are drunk, don't you worry, we'll make them sober. They must know they should not come to the game drunk, or indeed to the city."

Police from Manchester and London have already arrived in Moscow and will work together with local officers to identify and monitor any trouble-makers.

As for the Russian police, they will have their crack OMON riot squad on duty in case trouble does flare. Equipped with tear gas, water cannon and anti-riot assault vehicles, 5,000 of Russia's notorious police are ready to deployed.

Battle-hardened in the war in Chechnya, Russian legend has it that the officers exercise on nails and broken glass and are selected to join the elite force only after enduring five no-holds-barred fist fights with fellow officers. The OMON motto is: "We know no mercy and never ask for it."