Police keep watchful eye on excited Liverpool fans before Champions League final

French police have stepped in after Liverpool fans descended on landmarks across Paris ahead of the Champions League final.

The Reds will take on 13-time winners Real Madrid at the Stade de France, just north of the city, on Saturday, with supporters beginning to arrive on Thursday morning.

Local police were seen shutting down the Kop Bar, a Liverpool-themed pub in the city, after hundreds of football fans gathered there on Friday afternoon.

At one point officers with riot gear were seen monitoring the situation after fans spilled on to the road.

Some of those who travelled to Paris wrote on social media they had been pickpocketed, with one saying he had been threatened with a knife.

By Friday evening a sea of red shirts were seen on a grass patch covered in beer bottles close to the Eiffel Tower.

Thousands of Liverpool supporters, many ticketless, were letting off flares, chanting and drinking, with Scouse accents heard in nearby restaurants and pubs.

Beer was thrown and people were lifted above the crowd.

Up to 70,000 fans are expected to arrive, according to local authorities, with some driving for 10 hours to reach the match.

People in Liverpool shirts and holding banners and waving flags could be seen across the city.

French police have warned that wearing any football club colours is banned near the Champs Elysees.

The restriction covers the popular tourist attraction area from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe.

Merseyside Police’s Liverpool FC Twitter account said: “As of 15.00 on 26.05 until 18.00 on Sunday 29.05 it is prohibited to wear any football club colours in the area of the Champs Elysees.

“This includes scarves, hats, displaying banners etc. The police can issue a 135 Euro fine.”

However,