GAME ON! BALE SAYS HE’S FIT FOR FINAL

FINAL preparations for Cardiff’s showpiece Champions League celebrations were under way last night as the eyes of the world turn to the Welsh capital.

With the four-day festivities starting tomorrow, police have been getting ready for the massive security operation, while organisers have been putting the finishing touches to the many changes the city is going through.

One of the most noticeable additions – a floating 3G pitch – was unveiled in Cardiff Bay ahead of the clash between Juventus and Real Madrid. Meanwhile, home-town star and Real Madrid lynchpin Gareth Bale spoke of his hopes of making the line-up for Saturday’s game after a race against time to come back from injury. He told reporters: “It’s going to be an amazing occasion.

“To be in the final in my home city, where I was born, is an incredible feeling – but there’s one more job to do and that’s to win the Champions League again and make history.”

Around 200,000 fans are expected to attend the whole event across the four days before, during and after the Champions League final at the National Stadium of Wales, which has been renamed from the Principality Stadium for the event.

The women’s Champions League final takes place tomorrow night at the Cardiff City Stadium where holders Lyon take on fellow French side Paris St-Germain. The tie is expected to be the largest ever attendance for the women’s European final, with in excess of 15,000 tickets sold last week.

The 3G pitch will host the Ultimate Champions match on Friday afternoon (4pm kick-off), which will see Ryan Giggs and a host of other European football legends play against one another as part of the four-day Champions League festival in the Bay. The floating pitch will also host community activities, including walking football, refugee teams from south Wales, a deaf football friendly international, learning disability and youth age groups matches.

FAW chief Jonathan Ford officially launched the pitch, located on the pontoon in front of the iconic Pierhead building, yesterday morning.

And there was good news for fans when forecasters predicted a dry Saturday evening for the big match.

The roof of the National Stadium of Wales will be shut for security reasons but with tomorrow forecast to be fine, Friday may see rain across the region which will clear by Saturday.