Victory would
make Chelsea the first English team to win the three Euro titles -
Champions League, Cup Winners' Cup and Europa League
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Chelsea fans at Europa League Final in Amsterdam
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The Londoners go into their showdown against Benfica at the 48,000-seater Amsterdam Arena knowing victory would make them the first English team to win the three Euro titles - Champions League, Cup Winners' Cup and Europa League.
Only 9,800 fans have been able to get their hands on the official Chelsea allocation for the match.
But up to 10,000 more fans travelled without tickets to enjoy the build up, turning squares, bars and cafes into a sea of blue.
Chelsea Supporters' Trust claimed ticketing for the match was "ridiculous" and "shocking" after their route to the final included far-flung trips to Ukraine, Russia and Romania.
Crocked club captain John Terry is expected to lift the trophy again if they win - just as he did after last year's dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final - even if he does not play.
Father and son Stuart and Dean Bryant made an 18-hour journey from Bude in Cornwall by bus, train and overnight coach to reach the Dutch capital at 10am today.
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Builder Stuart, 50, who managed to get two tickets for the game for
150 Euros (£128) from a tout, said: "It has been a long journey to get
here but it is worth it."I have been to the cash point and forked out for tickets but we are very happy just to get in to see the match. We had expected to come and just enjoy the atmosphere.
"I don't agree with John Terry lifting the trophy again, it is a disgrace really. They should have just let Frank Lampard do it this time around.
"I did not think he should have got the Champions League trophy because he almost blew it for us in Barcelona when he got sent off.
"He is unfortunate in that he is injured this time - but I don't honestly know why he is getting it."
He added: "I don't think making history with three trophies is the Holy Grail, but we will take that tonight."
Dean, 27, a house husband and dad-of-five, added: "We have done this for about £300 each which is brilliant really. It has taken a fair bit of research over the past few weeks, but it is great to be here."
Danish fans Rasmus Enevoldsen, 25, and Emil Tuxen, 27, made a 15-hour road trip to get to Amsterdam.
Originally from the town of Middlefart in Denmark - the name has seen it featured on the TV show "Jackass" - they bought tickets from two Fenerbache fans after their team failed to make the final.
Category One £130 tickets were changing hands for anything up to 700 Euros, and Rasmus said: "It is a long way to come but for us it was a great chance to see the team. We are very lucky to get in to see the game.
"I have supported them since I played Fifa 99 as a kid, that's how it all started. I have got a bet on a 2-0 win and if that comes in it will pay for the trip."
Police officer Emil added: "It was a very long drive, but it is difficult for us to get to Stamford Bridge, and that is very expensive. This has cost us about £350, which is not bad."
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Student Jani Tavcar, 20, travelled 15 hours from Slovenia by car
with six of his pals - and has not even got a ticket. He joked: "I have
been to Prague, Munich, now Amsterdam to see Chelsea, we will just watch
the match in a pub and enjoy the atmosphere."There was a crash on the Autobahn in Germany so we had to wait two hours to get through the traffic.
"But we are confident, despite the injuries. I think the trophy should go to Lampard, not Terry, it is stupid giving it to him again when he is not even playing."
Mike Neat, 49, from Ealing is now living in New York flew in just for the game. He said: "I went to Munich and I wouldn't miss this for the world.
"Despite living in New York this is my 16th game of the season. I flew in on Tuesday and going back at the weekend.
"It's a good job my wife is understanding."
Mike was joined by five other member of New York Blues. Orlin Mirtchev flew in from San Francisco for the match.
He is spending just 24 hours in Amsterdam before flying back.
Ticketing for the final has caused dismay among Chelsea fans. A proportion of the club's allocation were offered to club staff, priced from £39-117, with official gold and platinum packages starting at €690 (£580).
Chelsea Supporters' Trust said in a statement: "As many as 30,000 Chelsea supporters could make the trip to Amsterdam regardless of whether they have tickets, and we fear many will feel compelled to deal with ticket touts.
"This means that cash-strapped supporters who have already paid significant amounts of money this season following the team from Newcastle to Japan may well end up paying hundreds if not thousands of pounds for a ticket.
"These occasions seem to be seen not as occasions for the normal supporter, but a celebration for the higher echelons of football and the wealthy, some of whom will sell their tickets on to people who actually want to go to the game, just to make a quick profit.
"Furthermore, the large corporate and neutral presence in Amsterdam will take the edge off the atmosphere of what will be Chelsea's second European final in as many years."
UEFA stressed they wanted to make the occasion as accessible to "the general public" as possible. They said: "In line with UEFA's policy to promote the competition among the general public, a total of 38,000 tickets, representing 79% of the net stadium capacity of 48,000, will go to the supporters of the two finalist teams and to neutral fans.
"Out of this allocation, the two finalist teams will receive a total around 20,000 tickets - 10,000 each - for distribution among their supporters. A significant allocation - 30% of these tickets - has been made available in category four, ensuring as many people as possible can afford to go."
Amsterdam Police have 600 officers on duty in the city centre for the build-up to the game.
They can call on riot cops and specialist "detention units" in the event of any trouble, and are using specially-trained spotters and additional CCTV to track crowds.
The match saw 31 charter flights, 19 from Portugal and 12 from England, carrying thousands of fans into the city's Schipol Airport.
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