About 10 years ago, fashion and Moscow weren't exactly thought of as two of a kind. At the same time in the British game, it was about as likely as Chelsea winning the league or Manchester United failing to pick up a trophy.

The few Russians who ventured to their local tailors were more prone to ask for thick fabrics in their suits, mainly because offices were so cold.

 How times change. Moscow's nouveau riche style has displaced the garish outfits once seen on the streets in Russia's capital throughout the Nineties. Vogue Russia now shifts 150,000 copies a month while even the bodyguards wear designer suits when they're seen around the clubs and hotels - the most expensive in the world - around town.

So the arrival of the two Champions League final teams will only add to this new-found style, with the news that two of the world's top designers have gone head to head to kit out Chelsea and Manchester United.

The Londoners have opted for Giorgio Armani, the Italian designer who was also responsible for Liverpool's cream suits in the 1996 FA Cup final.

But with mild temperatures - not snow - expected on Wednesday evening, there will be few fears that the Chelsea players might actually go unnoticed with all the white that might have been on show.

A more sobre colour, however, will probably be favoured for the biggest match in the club's history.

If the club statisticians have superstitious minds then they would probably have seen that Armani's blue pinstriped suits were sported when Chelsea lost to Arsenal in the 2002 FA Cup final.

Meanwhile, Manchester United have plumped for Sir Paul Smith, the English fashion designer. With one trophy already in the bag this season, the club have decided that if they are to bag a double then wearing two suits for their Russian quest is the order of the day.

They will travel in blue Paul Smith suits before changing to a grey number with club crests before the final.

With Smith credited for bringing the filofax into fashion, there is no reason for United players to miss any crucial pre-match meetings instead of marvelling at the architecture of the Bolshoi or getting lost around the streets of Old Arat.
The superstitious fashionistas will also have noticed that the last time United went continental in Europe, Versace designed the club's suits when they beat Bayern Munich to lift the European Cup in 1999.