IT wasn't quite on a par with Beatlemania but Blackburn Rovers' arrival in Sofia certainly created a stir among the locals ahead of tonight's UEFA Cup clash with CSKA.

A throbbing mass of Bulgarians waving English and Irish flags jockeyed for the best vantage point as the players arrived at a bustling Sofia airport shortly after 2.30pm local time yesterday afternoon.

Then when the team were put through their paces in a mini practice session at the Balgarsa Armia Stadium last night another horde of fans chanted songs from the terraces with the occasional firework to provide accompanying backing music.

That was nothing, however, compared to the media scrum which engulfed manager Graeme Souness when he conducted his post-training press conference.

Almost 20 separate Bulgarian TV companies are covering tonight's game in some capacity or other, not to mention a raft of radio and newspaper journalists.

And Rovers' arrival in the capital certainly appears to have captured the public's imagination, if only because they sense another potential giant-killing in the air to add to the other illustrious scalps they have collected down the years.

In case you hadn't guessed it already, Sofia is football mad.

The capital itself is home to four top-flight Bulgarian clubs with CSKA being the most successful of that quartet over the last five decades.

Their rundown stadium is situated in a park which lies in the shadow of Mount Vitosha - a mountain which dominates the city's skyline.

The facilities are basic, as you would expect, almost like a crumbling monument to a national game which is struggling to re-live the past glories of the Hristo Stoichov years.

Tonight, though, it will be full to the rafters after the 22,000 or so tickets which went on sale on Monday were snapped up in a matter of hours.

Rovers can therefore expect a hostile reception with the notorious CSKA Ultras likely to be among those leading the welcome party.

Organised fan culture has taken off in Bulgaria in recent times and small clusters of fans have taken it upon themselves to create a mini Italian-style atmosphere with smoke bombs, banners and the occasional explosion, all designed to build up the sense of intimidation.

"CSKA fans are very passionate and the atmosphere will be very hostile because it's always very difficult for visiting teams to play here," said George Alipieu, a journalist for Bulgarian Sports Channel, Ring TV.

"It's a unique atmosphere, a bit like you would expect to find in Greece or Turkey, and it's almost become part of Bulgarian culture to try and make it as intimidating as possible.

"But we enjoy our football, we love our football and this is a big event for us."

The 500-or-so Rovers fans who have made the trip were certainly in good voice, too, last night judging by the chants emanating from various Irish bars in the capital.

With the temperature in the high 60s and a pint of beer available for the equivalent of 50p in some places, they took the opportunity to soak up the sights in a city which is typically 'Eastern Bloc' with a hint of western influence.