A European Champion football team is set to land at Blackpool Airport tonight as they prepare to face a Lancashire club this weekend.

UEFA Conference League winners West Ham United will fly into Blackpool Airport this evening, ahead of their EFL Championship clash against Blackburn Rovers.

The Irons will be travelling on the same Boeing 737 used by Premier League champions Arsenal when they flew to the Fylde coast two weeks ago for their EFL Cup clash with Fleetwood Town, which saw the Cod Army pull off a historic giant-killing victory.

They will depart from London Stansted Airport at 4.30pm and fly up the west coast of England, landing in Blackpool at 5.17pm.

West Ham will then fly back to London on Saturday after their match in Blackburn, with the flight scheduled to depart Blackpool at 7pm and land at 7.48pm.