Copa Libertadores Bernabeu GFXGetty/Goal

Boca-River Copa Libertadores final second leg confirmed for Santiago Bernabeu

Santiago Bernabeu will host the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final between River Plate and Boca Juniors, CONMEBOL has confirmed. 

The game will take place at Real Madrid's home ground on Sunday, December 9, with kick-off scheduled for 7:30pm GMT/2:30pm ET.

It has also been confirmed that the game will be played in front of fans from both Boca and River, despite security fears meaning that both legs in Argentina were set to be played in front of an exclusively home crowd. 

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The federation also announced that River wil be fined $400,000 (£312,700) for the incident that led to the final's postponement while Boca are still set to appeal CONMEBOL's decision to play the match and is willing to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in an effort to see River disqualified.

River are also appealing CONMEBOL's decision.

"Club Atletico River Plate informs that it will make the legal proposals and the pertinent appeals in relation to the decisions of the South American Football Confederation [CONMEBOL] and its Disciplinary Court, in relation to the change of venue arranged on the final match of the Copa Libertadores 2018, the economic sanction and the prohibition to dispute with audience two official parties organised by CONMEBOL," a River statement read on Thursday.

Boca and River drew 2-2 in the first leg, with the second match already postponed twice.

After Boca hosted the first leg of the final, which ended in a 2-2 draw, on November 11, the second leg at River Plate's Estadio Monumental on Saturday was postponed after it was marred by an attack on Boca's team bus as it entered the stadium.

Fans shattered windows of the bus with projectiles and pepper spray was fired by police, leaving several Boca players needing to be taken to hospital with injuries. 

Though CONMEBOL initially only delayed the game, it eventually agreed to postpone the match until the next day following protests from Boca players. 

Following the incidents, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez called the affair a "sad day for South American football".

Alhough the second leg was scheduled for Sunday, that match between the two rivals was also postponed after Boca requested for CONMEBOL to suspend the game.

Boca captain Pablo Perez, who was seen wearing an eye patch after the attacks, believed that the decision to move the game away from the Monumental was the right one. 

Pablo Perez Boca Juniors Copa Libertadores 24112018JUAN MABROMATA

"I cannot play on a pitch where I know I could die," Perez said after the game was postponed a second time . "How can you play on a pitch where there is no security?

"What if we played and won? Who gets us out of there?

"The people were crazy before going in, imagine if we won on their pitch, turned them over at their home ground, what would have happened? They could have killed me."

The second postponement left the future of the match in some doubt, with several options for a new venue mooted. 

Paraguay had been reported as a possible venue, as well as Miami. Venues in the Middle East such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were also mentioned, given the Club World Cup begins on December 12 in Abu Dhabi.

The winner of South America's premier club competition is scheduled to begin the Club World Cup with a semi-final match on December 18. 

Either Boca or River will play in the tournament alongside Real Madrid and other continental tournament winners, with the final set for December 22.

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