IT is believed to be the biggest exodus of Saints fans in the club's history.

But a"national general transport strike" in Italy is expected to affect most of the 6,715 fans who have bought tickets for the Europa League group game against Inter Milan in the San Siro.

One leading Saints supporter admits there could be "potential chaos" for those returning from Milan on Friday.

Saints took tickets off sale yesterday - with most of the club's 8,700 allocation sold - before a statement from the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office warned of the strike, which "may cause delays and/or cancellations of flights and trains."

Saints fan Nick Illingsworth, of the Ugly Inside fanzine, is one of those travelling to Milan today, before returning on Friday.

He said: "There's the potential for chaos.

"Everyone will get there ok but I would estimate that at least half of those going are coming back on the Friday.

"That's what I'm doing but I have mates coming back on the Saturday so I have a back-up plan - sleeping on a mate's hotel room floor!

"There are worst places to be stuck than Milan but it may be that there aren't too many disruptions. We'll just have to wait and see."

According to the website summerinitaly.com, train staff will be on strike for eight hours from 9am-5pm and airline staff all day.

But no flights have been cancelled yet.

A spokesperson for British Airways told the Daily Echo: "We are aware of the threatened strike action and are awaiting further information on this from the Italian authorities."

Those travelling to Milan have been told by the Foreign Office to "check with your travel provider for more information before departure".

The 7,000-plus travelling fans are expected to make up around a quarter of the total attendance, with around 30,000 likely to be at the San Siro to see Saints take on one of the world's greatest clubs.

Under UEFA rules, Inter were not obligated to provide an allocation more than five per cent of the San Siro's 80,000 capacity.

But Inter, the best supported club in Italy with an average crowd of 53,095 from their three home games this season, made more available to meet the demand from Saints fans.

"It's a great draw, in all my years of following Saints we've always drawn fairly non-descript teams when we've been in European competition," added Illingsworth.

"The first time I saw Saints in Europe was away to Limerick in the first round of the UEFA Cup in 1981.

"Their ground wasn't even as good as Eastleigh's is now. The away stand was basically wooden planks on scaffolding!

"The only other trip I can think of that was as glamorous was Hamburg in 1984 - but we probably didn't have more than 2,000 there.

"We took about 3,000 to ]Steaua] Bucharest in 2003 and last year there were about 1,700 in Vitesse Arnhem."

Most Saints fans are flying from Heathrow and Gatwick to Milan Linate or Malpensa, two of the city's three airports, from where they will make the journey to the San Siro via train and/or tram.

Others are flying from Stansted and Southampton via Paris, Genoa, Turin and Verona.

There is likely to be a strong police presence at the San Siro, especially in the wake of the furore that followed the recent publication of Inter captain Mauro Icardi's autobiography, which provoked the ire of the club'sUltra fans.

They booed Icardi's penalty miss in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at home to Cagliari, before a group of 40 Ultras gathered at the home of the club's star player.

They reportedly tried to attack his car as he returned with his wife before leaving when a security guard with a gun in his holster appeared.

The Foreign Office has reminded Saints fans to carry ID at all times, with their passport needed to gain entry to the stadium.

Fans will not be allowed in with "large amounts of coins, belts with large buckles and heavy cigarette lighters".

Its website says "entry/security procedures may take some time to complete before the game and at the end of the game you’ll be asked to stay in the stadium for a short time to allow the home supporters’ area to be cleared."

Saints fans are also advised to have their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), to take out travel insurance and to be wary of "pickpockets and bag snatchers at airports, railway stations, around the town centre and when using public transport".

The Foreign Office statement adds: "The Italian government has a zero tolerance policy on hooliganism both inside and outside the stadium."

Panel: Aviation, train and public transport will all fall victim to a general strike that has been ordered by the 250,000 members of the USB Work Private Trade Union for October 21.

It will see devastation for travel plans from Italy the day after Southampton visit the San Siro in the Europa League.

The strike will involve airport workers and air traffic control but the full impact of the strike is not yet known.

Air control operator Techno Sky announced with USB on September 29 that the strike will take place.

Train travel will be disrupted with a strike taking place from 9am until 5pm on the Trenord services who operate the regional trains in Lombardy, where Milan is located within.

If your train departs before 9am and is scheduled to arrive at its final destination before 10am on that day then the journey should remain unaffected.

Trains to the airports on the Malpensa Express and Malpensa Airport-Bellinzona will be subject to the strike and replaced with buses to the stations, but they will not stop everywhere.

Other public transport is also on a 24 hour strike that will affect the region of Lombardy with Ferries also out of action for the entirety of Friday.