Barcelona fans terrified as bus catches fire ahead of Champions League clash

Barcelona face Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday and their travelling supporters were left terrified when a bus caught fire on the way to the Jan Breydel Stadium in Belgium

Barcelona supporters were forced to evacuate their bus while travelling to Wednesday's Champions League match against Club Brugge as it burst into flames. The incident occurred just hours before kick-off in Belgium.

A portion of Barca's fans were travelling to the Jan Breydel Stadium when smoke and flames were spotted coming from their bus. The vehicle was on a highway not far from the city of Bruges when it was forced to stop.

Footage showed distressed passengers waiting on the roadside as fire engulfed the back half of the bus. Plumes of black smoke filled the air, as supporters watched the blaze - which was reportedly sparked by fireworks - take over.

Plenty of fans remained in good spirits, with some heard chanting in the background of videos. Others were seen on their phones, showing friends and relatives what had just happened.

Reports say that no one was injured. Belgian outlet HLN say that a man has been arrested by police in connection with the incident.

At half-time, with Brugge leading 2-1, Barcelona issued a statement on X: "The Club informs all its fans at the Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges that the free shuttle bus service back from the stadium, courtesy of Club Bruges, has been suspended due to the incident with flares before the match, so they will have to return by their own means."

"I hope no one was on it when it went up," one user posted on social media platform X. A second wrote: "Really hope no one got hurt." A third added: "So dangerous, praying for all."

Barcelona come into the fixture off the back of a mixed Champions League campaign so far. Hansi Flick's side, who were seconds away from reaching the final last season, began with a 2-0 win at Newcastle.

In their next game, they lost 2-1 at home to holders Paris Saint-Germain. Barcelona bounced back by thrashing Olympiacos 6-1, putting them on six points after three games.

For Brugge, they were hammered 4-0 by Bayern Munich away from home in their last Champions League fixture. That was after a narrow 2-1 defeat away to Atalanta.

The Belgian giants have one win on the board, having beaten Monaco 4-1 on home soil in September. Brugge comfortably beat Scottish heavyweights Rangers in the play-offs to earn a spot in Europe's elite competition, where their best-ever run is to the final in 1978, losing 1-0 to Liverpool at Wembley.

Barca were firmly braced for a difficult encounter against Nicky Hayen's team, who are second in the Belgian Pro League table. "Every match in this Champions League is important," Robert Lewandowski, who started the game on the bench, said at their pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

"Every point is gold. So in our minds, it's only about how to win. Brugge are a very strong at home and we have to play at 100 per cent to get the three points, which is our main goal."

Flick added of Brugge: "They're a good team, especially at home. They press well, love the ball, and move quickly - I enjoy watching them play."

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