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Wigan Athletic last night sent an official to the game between Benfica and Borussia Dortmund, according to O Jogo. In recent seasons Championship sides have been sending scouts to Portugal to look for possible transfers

Premier League sides have been scouting Portugal for many years, but with higher Championship budgets there’s an increased presence from the lower league.

O Jogo have confirmed Wigan Athletic were on the scouting list to see Benfica beat Borussia Dortmund 1-0 in the Champions League round of 16. The Championship side were joined by other clubs, including Manchester United, Chelsea, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.

Screen Shot 2017-02-15 at 10.51.58There have been no reports who Wigan Athletic were watching, and judging from the two squads it’s difficult to see who could be a conceivable target. The likelihood is that the Wigan Athletic representative was on a general scouting mission or a ‘jolly’.

Wigan Athletic aren’t one of the Championship sides most frequently in Portugal, with Sheffield Wednesday, Brighton and Fulham probably those there the most. However, when Championship clubs usually scout in Portugal it’s domestic games, with reasonable targets, not two of the biggest clubs in Europe playing in the Champions League knockout stages.