Boca squad arrives in Madrid for rearranged Copa final

Boca Juniors has arrived in Madrid for Sunday’s Copa Libertadores final second leg against River Plate, kicking off preparations for the highly-anticipated match that was twice suspended because of fan violence in Argentina.

A few dozen Boca fans greeted the team when it made it to the Spanish capital yesterday [Macau time].

Argentine rival River was expected to arrive today, three days before the rearranged game that will decide South America’s equivalent of the Champions League.

Some Boca players were injured when their bus was attacked by River fans in Buenos Aires on Nov. 24.

South American soccer confederation CONMEBOL postponed the match twice before deciding to play the game at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium to avoid security problems in Argentina.

The teams drew 2-2 in the first leg at Boca’s La Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires on Nov. 11.

Tens of thousands of fans are expected to travel to Madrid from Argentina, with Spanish authorities implementing special security measures.

The measures are likely to supersede those put in place for the Spanish “clasico” between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

CONMEBOL has made 25,000 tickets available for each team, with 5,000 being sold in Argentina and the rest through the confederation’s website.

Another 22,000 tickets will go to sponsors and the general public. Some are being sold for more than 1,000 euros (USD1,135) through online dealers. AP