CITY centre bars have lined up a host of special cup final events to help bring the spirit of Manchester to Glasgow.

Publicans are bracing themselves for one of the busiest nights of the year as thousands of ticketless fans hit the bars to watch the action.

At the Sports Cafe in Sauchiehall Street, which has a 3am licence, bosses have a whole range of events planned including keepie-uppie and penalty shoot-out competitions.

Manager Chris Kelly said: "We've got a Manchester-themed night and we are bringing the atmosphere of Manchester back to Glasgow. We will have DJs playing Manchester bands, keepie-uppie competitions and signed Rangers strips to give away."

And at Campus nearby in Sauchiehall Street, DJs will be laid on in the build up to the big game.

A spokesman said: "We've already got a lot of tables booked up, but Manchester is only four hours down the road so we are hoping people will still come out and not go down there."

Elsewhere in the city, Australian-themed bar Walkabout is also expecting big crowds for the match.

A spokesman for the Renfield Street pub said: "It will certainly be very busy, but there are no worries about seeing the game because we've got it on the big screens."

And Glasgow's newest casino, Alea at Springfield Quay, is also expecting around 250 fans to gather to watch the match on a stage-size screen in its events room Face2Face.