Buenos Aires, Dec 5 (IANS): Boca Juniors bid farewell to their fans in Buenos Aires, as the team headed to Madrid for the Copa Libertadores final against River Plate.

The players and technical staff of Boca Juniors departed from the vicinity of La Bombonera stadium on Tuesday night and were greeted in the La Boca neighbourhood by supporters, who accompanied the bus amid chants and flares. The crowd included members of La 12, a group of Boca supporters with a reputation for violence and hooliganism, reports Efe news.

Around 500 fans, including Boca players Dario Benedetto and Fernando Gago, gathered at the airport to wait for the bus.

One fan, Tania Valdes said she would have liked the Superclasico between the two Argentinian clubs to be played in Argentina.

The team was scheduled to fly from the Ezeiza International Airport to Madrid's Barajas airport.

The match was originally scheduled to be played on November 24 at Estadio Monumental, but the South American football confederation suspended it after River Plate supporters attacked the Boca Juniors' bus with rocks, injuring several players.

The final will now be held at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on Sunday.