Manchester United fans in Bilbao
Manchester United fans enjoy the sunshine in Bilbao on Tuesday
It's approaching 4pm in Bilbao on Tuesday. The sun is shining, and the noise is growing. But the noise has a distinctively cockney twang. In pockets on different streets approaching San Mames, Tottenham fans are cranking up the volume.
As Spurs fans spill out onto the streets from one small bar near the ground, they start to wonder out loud where the United fans are. "Where the f**k are Man United?" is their Bilbao reworking of a song they often sing.
A day before the Europa League final, it did feel like there were more Tottenham fans in the streets and bars of Bilbao, with a suggestion last week that they were expected to outnumber United fans on the money.
But then it's also the case that the two sets of fans do things differently. While Spurs fans were gathering in numbers, smaller groups of Mancunians were seated around tables in different bars across this wonderful city.
There were dads and lads in the main fanzone, trying to kick footballs into boats on the Nervion River and queuing to have their photo taken with the Europa League trophy. There were groups of five or six, bucket hats on, still singing 'For United are going to Bilbao' while knocking back pints in temperatures that will feel familiar after the spring that Manchester has enjoyed.
There was no mass gathering, though - at least not yet. There might have been more substantial sing-alongs on Tuesday night, and the atmosphere will be cranked up a notch on the day of the final.
There is room for 20,000 fans at United's fanzone in Etxebarria Parkea, with a musical line-up that could sell out Heaton Park, but for many of United's regular European away-dayers, such substantial shows of force and numbers are to be avoided. It's also true that Etxebarria Parkea is at the top of a hill in Bilbao, and as beautiful as the views are, the walk to get there isn't all that much fun.
A group of United fans were scouting it out on Tuesday, climbing the steps to see the ring of steel around it. The big screen is up, and the bars and toilets are ready to go. "It's f**king miles away," didn't suggest they would be going back on game day.
The journey to Bilbao - and the wider Basque Country - has also been challenging. John and John, father and son United fans, were reunited in the city on Tuesday. Dad flew in from Manchester via Amsterdam, but his son was here via Hong Kong.
"I moved to Hong Kong for work, I don't get back for games often, but I had to be at this one," said the younger John.
"It took 20 hours to get from Hong Kong to Bilbao, but it's nice to be in the sun now. It's a really nice city, it's very friendly and seems like a nice place.
"I'm not that confident, I think it's going to be dull, 1-0 to United with a Fernandes penalty."
They weren't the only father and son. Jonathan Law, from Worsley, stopped for a chat with his son Leo, and they will be hoping Leo's teachers aren't MEN readers after he admitted his son was skipping school to get a different kind of education this week.
"We just had to be here. We paid too much for the tickets, too much for the hotel, too much for the flights, but we're glad we're here. It's better than being at school," said Jonathan, with Leo nodding at that last comment.
"I'm confident, the closer it gets, the more confident I'm getting. It's United, isn't it? We can turn it on in certain games."
Another Mancunian, Paul, was walking around the city with his son Jake. Although tempted, he decided against a chat as his son was also swapping school for watching United in a European final.
One supporter who didn't pay too much for this journey was Nate, who was in Bilbao from Torbay in Devon. A stroke of good fortune had brought him to the city.
"I've been in Spain in my motor home for a month, I'm sailing back from Santander to Plymouth on Thursday. I booked the crossing six months ago, not realising United were going to get to the final," he said.
"When we booked it, I never booked it with this in mind, but as they progressed through the rounds, I realised there was a possibility they were going to get to the final. Bilbao in the semi-final was the big one to get over."
He is also one of the many United fans who have made the journey without a ticket, but he did the same in Stockholm for the Europa League final against Ajax in 2017 and plans to try the same approach to getting inside San Mames.
"I don't have a ticket, but everyone says leave it as long as possible, that's what I did in Stockholm," he said. "I left it until five minutes before kick-off and got two tickets for face value, so the longer you hold the nerve, the better you have of getting good value."
Although United fans seemed outnumbered on Tuesday, that might not be the case on matchday. Thousands are staying around the Basque Country after refusing to pay the price of accommodation in Bilbao.
The MEN are holed up in San Sebastian, and a few groups of United fans were in the city on Monday night. More arrived on Tuesday, and others are on the other side of Bilbao in Santander.
Andrew Houten and his dad flew from Manchester to Nantes in the west of France on Monday. They then took the train further south to Bordeaux before getting a coach to Bilbao. They are staying in Zaramillo, a small village about 20 minutes outside of Bilbao.
Richard, a United fan from Blackpool, found another way to beat the exorbitant flight prices. Just come earlier.
"I went via Berlin," he said. “The flights were difficult, and I'm going back via Mallorca. I saw quite a few United fans on the route out, and it's a Sunday night to Friday trip. I had to square it with the wife, although I made sure I booked it first!
"The atmosphere has been fairly tame so far, but we found a couple of bars on Monday that were quite lively. There was a good mix of United and Spurs. It's been very friendly so far.
"I can't say I'm feeling confident, I think it's going to finish about 1 in the morning."
For those fans staying outside of Bilbao, the challenge of getting back to their accommodation will begin then. For now, they have the excitement of a matchday to come. And today, the Spurs fans might see a little more red in Bilbao.