The players have arrived. Now Madrid waits to see how many supporters will follow them, where they will arrive from, and if Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are going to be among their number.
Messi is expected to be at Sunday’s Copa Libertadores final at the Santiago Bernabeu but Cristiano Ronaldo, it seems, has already decided not to be there in person having originally shown an interest in attending.
Messi plays in the Catalan derby on Saturday and so will be free to attend. Ronaldo plays on Friday so would also have had no problem jetting into the city that was his home for almost a decade but has opted to watch the game at home in Turin.
In terms of arrivals from Argentina the fact that both Boca and River are struggling to sell their 5,000 allocations shows just how difficult the trip is for supporters needing to find around 2000 euros for the flights and hotels. Of the 10,000 tickets being sold in Argentina at least 3,000 look set to be returned.
Real Madrid club members have been offered the chance to buy tickets for the game. Around 7,000 were offered and they were snapped up immediately. Supporters of both sides have also been arriving from all around the globe with fans from Israel and Denmark turning up in Madrid on Wednesday.
Those who do arrive from South America will do so as late as possible with hotel prices in the city already high because of a four day holiday in Spain.
There were a small group of Boca fans at the airport when Carlos Tevez led the Boca party through the arrivals lounge on Wednesday afternoon. And there was a larger group when they arrived at the Hotel Eurostars Suites Mirasierra in the centre of the city.
River arrived later but there were supporters waiting for them too with a huge River banner unfurled infront of the Hotel Eurostars Madrid Tower where they will set up camp just a 10-minute car journey from their rivals. Today they train at Real Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground. Boca are at the Spanish national team headquaters slightly further out of the city.
The operation to stop ‘barrabravas’ reaching Madrid has claimed one success with Argentine media reported that Maximiliano Mazzaro had reached the city’s Adolfo Suarez airport but immediately been intercepted and turned around to fly back to Buenos Aires.
The fact that he was not blocked leaving Buenos Aires have led Spanish media to speculate that keeping hooligans out will be their sole responsibility because blocks do not appear to be being applied stringently in Argentina.
One Clarin journalist did however report that on his flight one Boca fan had got talking to a River supporter and the two had agreed to share accommodation costs once in Madrid.
The non-violent majority arriving from South America on different sides of the club divide will be united by having had to burden the huge cost of their journey.
Boca’s send off in Buenos Aires was big and noisy. River’s was are altogether sadder affair. Players, fans and coaches are still fuming at having had the second leg taken from their home.
‘There are a lot of people who have been hurt by this,’ said Leonardo Ponzio. The 66,000 that were in the Monumental [River’s stadium] are going to help us. They will be with us.’ Coach Marcelo Gallardo added: ‘The only way for us to defend the River fans is out on the pitch.’