A prominent Manchester United supporter group is planning to stage its most visible protest yet against the club’s ownership during tonight’s Champions League clash with Roma at Old Trafford.

Pre-match protests have become commonplace as supporters continue to vent their anger at Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family. The overriding feeling, however, is that the marches have failed to get the message across.

The i Paper has been told that one prominent fan group has taken matters into their own hands and are planning to release thousands of green and gold balloons – the club’s original colours – from the iconic Stretford End as the Champions League music plays out ahead of kick-off. It will symbolise 21 years of decay under the Glazer family ownership.

Other protests are also planned around other parts of the stadium, which could include more disruption to the match.

The supporter groups involved did not want to be named and they have kept the plans off social media until close to kick-off. That is partly to keep the protests among matchgoing fans after a divide between Old Trafford regulars and “e-reds” – online supporters.

There were plans to bring a banner into the stadium to accompany the protest reading: “No new stadium, we want new owners”. This has been blocked by the club, citing Uefa’s inability to sanction the banner in time.

Supporters from the fan groups will also unfollow the club on social media channels, before coordinating a boycott of products and sponsors associated with United.

The club are already on red alert with Roma in town. The fixture has a history of violence and United are determined to stop away supporters acquiring access to the home end. Club sources insist tickets were only allocated to fans who were on the United database prior to the draw taking place.

Protesting fans insist they want to unite all supporters under a common goal of forcing a change in ownership.

One major difference in opinion is that some online fan accounts, often faceless ones, are calling for supporters to “empty Old Trafford”, leaving United to play in front of an empty stadium.

Matchgoers do not feel that method would work, as the club could easily stop supporters coming back. The i Paper understands one plan being mooted is for fans from one particular section of the Stretford End to leave during a match, leaving a large patch of the stand empty.

Old Trafford regulars want their voices heard. Protests on the street are not picked up by all the TV cameras – but taking a stand in the middle of a match is seen as an act the club cannot ignore.

A similar protest is planned for the weekend, depending on how the Roma demonstration goes.