PSG fans in party mode in Manchester city centre ahead of Champions League tie

Anyone in Manchester on Tuesday afternoon would have found it difficult to ignore Paris St-Germain supporters ahead of their team’s game against Manchester United.

“(I) Was just walking around the city centre and it just went crazy. Trams were stopped. Flares all over the place,” Ross Byrne, 19, told the Press Association.

According to Ross, police had to stop a couple of trams to get flares off the lines, while one tram was apparently “swinging due to the banging and screaming of the fans.”

But while the scenes appeared a little chaotic at times, Liam Martindale, 30, said the fans “seemed to be having a great time without causing any trouble.”

“I work on the 19th floor of the Arndale House building and could hear the fans from up there,” he said. “They were singing and letting off flares and bangers.

“Then when I left work I saw the fans queuing for the tram. I thought the atmosphere was great. They’ve brought a lot of fans over and they were all in full song.”

And while some were given a bit of a fright by the appearance of the noisy supporters, the atmosphere apparently remained enjoyable.

“It was good, just fans sharing their support,” said Tatijarna, 20.

“At first they frightened me because of how loud they were but after I had realised what was going on and what they were doing it was quite fun to watch.”

Manchester United will travel to Paris for the second leg of the tie on March 6.