Manchester United will begin their Europa League campaign this week when they take on FC Twente at Old Trafford. It is the first time that the two clubs have ever met which means this a rare opportunity for FC Twente fans to visit one of the world's most iconic stadiums, Old Trafford.ย
If rumours are to be believed, it will likely be their final opportunity too as the club seem set to build a new stadium in the coming years.
Given the ‘glamour' of the match, thousands of FC Twente fans are expected to travel to Manchester this week for the match. Here is everything that you need to know about them.
How many FC Twente Fans are going to Old Trafford?
FC Twente have been given the usual away allocation at Old Trafford of just over 3,000 tickets. These tickets have all been sold so a full and lively away end is anticipated.
Given the magnitude of the match for FC Twente, it is anticipated that there will be plenty of fans travelling from the Netherlands without tickets.
In recent years, several European away fans have managed to secure tickets in the home end at Old Trafford much to the dismay of the club's supporters who have blamed the club for deliberately selling these tickets to said fans at inflated prices.
Things came to a head when hundreds of Galatasaray fans infiltrated the home sections at Old Trafford last season in the Champions League. In the wake of that, the club vowed to not let it happen again and promised to come down hard on any supporters who were found to have sold their tickets on to opposition fans.
FC Twente ultras
Like many European teams, FC Twente do have an ultras section within their fanbase but they aren't one of the biggest in the Netherlands. They are called Vak-P and occupy one of the stands behind one of the goals at the club's stadium, De Grolsch Veste.
The most famous incident involving the FC Twente ultras came in 2002 after the club were knocked out of the cup by Ajax's second team. Vak-P responded by tearing up the club's brand-new stadium due to the humiliation of being beaten by a club's second team.
FC Twente fans in Istanbul this afternoon ahead of their match against Fenerbahรงe pic.twitter.com/rAy5Ko9n4h
โ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ฅ (@thecasualultra) August 24, 2023
FC Twente chants
One of the most famous FC Twente chants is to a tune very popular in the United Kingdom, ‘Oh when the Saints'. Their version of the song, translated into English, is as follows:
“Oh, when the reds,
Go marching in,
Oh, when the reds go marching in,
When the reds, go marching in,
Oh, when the reds go marching in”
The FC Twente chant that you are most likely to hear on Wednesday night is a song all about the club and where they have come from. The lyrics, in English, are as follows:
“We are FC Twente,
Twente Enschede,
Coming from the east,
Twente Enschede,
Here is your hell,
Hell from Enschede,
Come on FC Twente,
Twente Enschede,
Jalalalalala”