• Home
• /
• Football

Liverpool, Fulham begin long journey to semifinals

The two Premier League clubs set off a day early for Thursday’s away legs of the competition, forced to go by road and rail for much of their journeys. Their fans face similar trips, and some say their problems have been ignored by UEFA.

Liverpool has the longer route to face Atletico Madrid, taking three trains to get to Bordeaux in southern France and then flying to the Spanish capital. The players and team officials will make an overnight stop in Paris to break up the journey.

‘We could have done without the disruption. But we will try to win against Atletico,’ Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez said after Monday’s 3-0 Premier League victory over West Ham. ‘I don’t think it gives them an advantage. We still have enough time to be ready for the game.’

Benitez said he feared many of Liverpool’s huge army of supporters won’t make the game.

‘The people working on the travel plans for us have been very goodnel Tunnel. The journey is expected to take between 10 to 12 hours.

Because of air travel restrictions, Fulham added two more buses to take fans to the game to make it five in total.

With most fans going by other means, it is hoping that 2,500 supporters will make it to Hamburg for Fulham’s biggest away following for a European game. But supporters club spokesman John Aitken said Tuesday that most of those would wait until Wednesday to decide how to get there.

‘There’s another coach company who is running a service to Hamburg, but a lot of people are going to wait and see what happens,’ Aitken said. ‘If they lift the flight ban they may be able to go. But, by then, it might be too late to rearrange anything.

‘I know of one fan who’s going by motorbike. It’s a long journey, about 900 kilometers.’

The second leg games are April 29 and the final is in Hamburg on May 12.