Over 1,600 fans in Lisbon for Champions League game with Benfica

This Wednesday, FC Barcelona have a huge UEFA Champions League last 16 game away to Benfica, and as usual, the players will be joined on their travels by swathes of blaugrana clad supporters.

1,000 of those will be from different Barça penyas from around the world, and most especially those from the Penya Barcelonista de Lisboa, who are acting as hosts for the second time this season after Barça were also in the Portuguese capital to play the same side, and win a thrilling contest 5-4, during the League Phase. But there are also fans arriving from further afield, even from Bogotá, Colombia and Shanghai, China.

In addition, a further 613 FC Barcelona club members will be inside the Stadium of Light to support the team in the 9pm CET kick-off.

Extremadura tops the list

The largest contingent of travelling support will be coming from Extremadura, understandably enough as the region in the west of Spain is within easy reach of Lisbon. No fewer than 560 people from the club's 39 official supporters clubs in that region will be heading across the border to watch their team in action.

Around 100 will be travelling from Catalonia, a similar number are from Andalusia and there will be 50 from Castilla y León, the latter also being regions that are geographically close to Portugal.