Source: Daily_Mail
It's trains, planes and automobiles for Liverpool and Fulham's Europa League games
Liverpool and Fulham will find out this morning whether they face gruelling journeys to their Europa League semi-final first-leg ties in Spain and Germany. [LNB]With UEFA insisting the games on Thursday must go ahead despite the ban on flights across Europe, Liverpool could end up making a two-day trip by rail, coach and air for their game against Atletico Madrid. Fulham face similar problems getting to Hamburg for their match. [LNB]With flight plans still unclear last night, Anfield officials were forced to draw up an alternative journey that would begin at Runcorn just after 1pm today and finish in Madrid more than 24 hours later. [LNB] Taxi! Kyrgiakos and the rest of the Liverpool squad face an epic journey [LNB]Manager Rafa Benitez and his players are hoping to revert to travelling by charter jet tomorrow afternoon but if that cannot be guaranteed they face a marathon journey.[LNB] It would start at Runcorn at 1.04pm, with a coach waiting to transfer them from Euston to St Pancras for the 4.32 Eurostar, arriving in Paris at 7.47. [LNB]Enlarge After an overnight stay in the French capital, they would catch the 7.10am train to Bordeaux, where, after another coach transfer, a flight at 12.15pm would take them to Madrid, 75 minutes away. [LNB]Fulham will also set off this afternoon if the authorities cannot guarantee by 11am today that their chartered flight from Gatwick to Hamburg tomorrow morning will be allowed to take off. [LNB]Fulham's contingency plan involves a Eurostar train to Brussels andan onward coach to Hamburg, with a stopover near Dortmund in Germany onTuesday night. This route would take them more than 24 hours. But clubofficials are also concerned about getting home from Germany. [LNB]Fulham are due to play Everton away on Sunday and would not get back to the UK until Saturday if forced to travel overland. [LNB]Arrangementsfor fans are also unclear. It was expected that 1,500 would fly toHamburg but there may be as few as 500 in the stadium. The club's £99official coach travel offer has sold out, with three coaches leavingCraven Cottage at 8.30pm tomorrow and returning at 9.30am on Friday.[LNB]Fulham say fans concerned about travel should phone their supporter relations department on 0870 4421222.[LNB] Liverpool set to avoid 21-hour journey from hell despite UEFA giving green light to Europa League semi-finalsFulham 0 Wolves 0: Hughes lines up a Ruud viewing ahead of European tourLiverpool 3 West Ham 0: Torres who? Reds run riot to leave Hammers in relegation dogfight LIVERPOOL FC
