Istanbul gears up for UEFA Super Cup match between Liverpool and Chelsea

As English football clubs Liverpool and Chelsea get ready to lock horns in the UEFA Super Cup, Istanbul is leaving no stone unturned to be perfect hosts for the English fans.

The city authorities are looking after the security and crowd control measures but the bar owners are making preparations of their own.

"We are keeping a lot of stock of beer. We are of course happy about that," CNN quoted Dogan Ozdemir, a 40-year-old bar owner in Beyoglu as saying.

In 2005, Liverpool and AC Milan contested the Champions League final in Istanbul. The match is popularly referred to as "the Miracle of Istanbul".

Liverpool came from a 0-3 deficit to win the Champions League 4-3 on penalties.

The fans of the club celebrated in pubs and the stocks of alcohol were left high and dry in Istanbul.

"We started selling whatever we had left at that point -- we ran out of beer, we gave them whiskey, we ran out of that we gave them vodka, we ran out of vodka, we gave them gin and finally they were drinking raki," the bar owner said.

The Reds have reportedly taken up 5,973 tickets for the final against Chelsea, whereas the Blues have asked for 1,314 tickets.

The Istanbul governorship has also issued a statement detailing the security measures for the Super Cup. The measures include cutting down traffic in the main areas leading to the stadium.

The security measures will be strengthened by helicopters, boats and divers, and special forces if needed.

The Super Cup is an annual football match which is orgsed by UEFA and it is contested between the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

Champions League 2018/19 was won by Liverpool whereas Europa League was won by Chelsea.

Liverpool and Chelsea take on each other in the Super Cup later today. The match will be a historic as referee Stephe Frappar will become the first female official to adjudicate in a UEFA's men's match.

( With inputs from ANI )