Copa Libertadores final LIVE: River Plate champions after victory over Boca Juniors

River Plate 3 Boca Juniors 1 (5-3 Agg)
Copa Libertadores final, second leg
Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

Welcome to our LIVE coverage of tonight’s Copa Libertadores final second leg.

River Plate have been crowned the 2018 Copa Libertadores champions after their 5-3 aggregate victory over Boca Juniors in Madrid.

Relive all the action in our match blog

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Match background

The Copa Libertadores final second leg has been delayed, suspended, and postponed (twice). Now it's finally set to be played, albeit at a neutral venue, after Fifa decided to move the fixture to Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu.

The postponement came after River Plate fans attacked the Boca Juniors team bus as it arrived at El Monumental, the venue for the second leg. Players and staff required treatment for their injuries, with Boca's Pablo Perez needing treatment after his eye was caught by a shard of glass.

Now there is dissatisfaction from both sides; Boca want River thrown out of the competition after the chaos in Buenos Aires last month, while River are refusing to play as they believe the game should be played in South America.

But with the second instalment of the Superclasico finally set to go ahead, the football can finally resume. It's easy to forget the first leg produced an entertaining clash, the two sides playing out a 2-2 draw - River twice coming back from a goal down.

The winner not only gets the bragging rights in the Argentinian capital but also a place in the Fifa Club World Cup, which is being held in Abu Dhabi in two weeks' time. But with tension still running high after the events from the first leg, it promises to be a feisty clash in Madrid.

Team news

Ignacio Scocco remains the only injury doubt ahead of the game for River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo.

The 33-year-old is struggling with a calf problem and missed the first leg at La Bombanera, and the veteran striker faces a race against time to be included for Sunday's squad.

As for Boca, winger Cristian Pavon is still out with a torn muscle bundle sustained in early November. Pablo Perez, who suffered an eye injury from the bus attack, is a major doubt for the second leg in Madrid.

Full-back Frank Fabra is long-term absentee as he continues his recovery from a ruptured cruciate ligament.

Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change

• River Plate to win: 6/4

• The draw: 9/5

• Boca Juniors: 19/10

• River Plate to win 2-1: 9/1

• Over 2.5 goals: 7/4

• Both teams to score: 6/5

TV channel

The second leg will be shown live on BT Sport 1.

Non-BT subscribers who have a Sky or Virgin subscription can watch the game on FreeSports (Sky 422) and FreeSports HD (Virgin 553).

Prediction

Head to Head

In the historic Superclasico, there have been 67 meetings between the two sides.

River have a slight advantage, winning 24 of those clashes, while Boca have been victorious on 22 occasions.

As the 'home' team, River have only won eight times against Boca, with 21 draws between the Buenos Aires rivals.