LONDON (AP):

British football reverted to the bad old days when drunken Glasgow Rangers fans attacked police and went on the rampage after the UEFA Cup final in Manchester.

It won back respect with the admirable behaviour of rival Portsmouth and Cardiff fans at Saturday's FA Cup final at Wembley.

Now comes an even bigger game - and even bigger test.

Manchester United and Chelsea face each other in Moscow tomorrow in the first Champions League final between two English clubs. About 40,000 visiting English fans will test the patience and reactions of Russian security who are known to take a hard line on unruly fans.

Most prestigious final

The 10:45 p.m. (1845 GMT) local kick-off time - the latest in the 52-year history of European club football's most prestigious final - will give the travelling fans plenty of time to fuel themselves with alcohol.

The sight of intoxicated Rangers fans rioting in Manchester after their team lost 2-0 to Zenit St. Petersburg last Wednesday is likely to have worried those who will be in charge of security for the Champions League final at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

Hurling bottles at lines of police, the Scottish team's fans chased a small group of officers down a street and, tripping one of them, assaulted him and left him with a broken arm. The violence seemed inevitable, especially after one of the giant screens set up to show the game in central Manchester blacked out.

"In Manchester I saw what seemed like 100,000 (Rangers) fans, standing on all the central streets, running, drinking. Frankly speaking, I would not like to see this in Moscow in this way," said Russia's Sports Minister, Vitaly Mutko. "I want it to be a celebration."

Attacks discouraged

It's possible that the minority of thugs who follow Moscow's soccer teams will go after the Man United and Chelsea followers. Mutko is reported to have had talks with supporters' groups encouraging them not to attack the visiting fans.

But he also had a message for the English.

"We'd like you to also respect customs and respect the people who live in this city in this country," Mutko said.

It's likely the vast majority of the English fans will enjoy the occasion and concentrate on the game and maybe the tourist sites.

But English football has a reputation it still can't shake off, no matter how hard it tries.

This is the country that exported soccer violence back in the 1970s and '80s when English football became synonymous with thuggery inside and outside the stadiums.