PARIS (Reuters) -The French capital was getting ready on Saturday morning for the evening's Champions League final between Paris St Germain and Inter Milan, with shops and police tightening security while fans shared excitement.
Although the match will be held in Munich, a PSG victory would be expected to spark celebrations in the club’s home city which could escalate into disturbances, and 5,400 police officers are deployed ahead of the game.
Thousands of PSG fans are expected to gather in the city to watch the match on screens at various locations including the Parc des Princes.
France's famed Le Fouquet's brasserie on the Champs Elysees avenue barricaded its windows, so did some banks and other shops. Police were preventing cars from parking on the avenue.
A sense of excitement was starting to build in the city's hallmark, with PSG supporters queuing in front of the club's shop to buy merchandise for their big night.
Chef Zoumana Meite, 28, told Reuters he was looking forward to the game and had a "good feeling" about it.
"If we win tonight, it will be a sleepless night," he said. "Yes, it's a big night... As a Parisian, it's something to experience."
As for security, Deborah Mbwebwa, a 29-year-old finance worker, told Reuters PSG supporters like her had been warned not to break anything. "I think it'll go well," she said.
Mbwebwa was also hopeful for the outcome. "The players are aware that the whole city, we're all behind them. So I think they'll give it their all tonight," she added.
"I'm much more confident than in 2020, when they came up short (losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the final). But this time, I think it's ours."
Corinne Soler, a PSG supporter of 32 years that came all the way from southern France, told Reuters that even if victory eluded the Parisian team, this final would still go down in history.
"It's our second final, and finally, we can celebrate it. So, even if we lose, we will be with other supporters tonight and it won't matter," she said.
(Reporting by Manuel Ausloos and Katya Skvortsova; Writing by Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
