Manchester United are to seek advice from the authorities before their scheduled Champions League match against AS Roma in Italy on December 12th.

Italian soccer was rocked by fan violence sparked by the shooting of a Lazio supporter by a policeman at the weekend.

Fans of the English champions were also involved in violent clashes in Rome in April when they met Roma in the first leg of last season's quarter-final tie.

United have received 1,800 applications for the Group F clash in Rome even though they have already qualified for the knockout round.

A United spokesman said: "We are aware of the situation in Italy and will take advice from the Foreign Office, Uefa and the Italian authorities. Obviously the safety of our supporters is the most important issue here."

Many supporters have applied for tickets for the Roma match in the belief it will give them a better chance of getting tickets for the later rounds, but United said fans would not suffer if they did not go to Rome.

European soccer's governing body Uefa said United fans needed to be aware that the situation was dangerous.

"I am sure United are dealing with the situation as best they can and we have no formal opinion on whether fans should travel or not," William Gaillard, special advisor to Uefa president Michel Platini, explained.

"But the club need to explain to fans about the current situation. It's a dangerous situation at the moment, it's not like walking to a match in Manchester or travelling to London and the fans need to be told this."

In Italy, police have said the fatal shooting of Lazio fan Gabriele Sandri on Sunday was accidental. The unnamed officer is under investigation for manslaughter and has been re-assigned to internal duties.