UEFA appreciated all aspects before making a final decision, and after listening to teams, club doctors, and players. So they finally decided to prioritize competition fairness over any other point.
UCL matches will be played behind closed doors
Real Madrid will travel to England to face Manchester City at Etihad Stadium in the return match of their round of 16 Champions League ties. UEFA decided that the rest of the competition, including the final eight in Lisbon, will be played behind closed doors. Barcelona takes Napoli at the Camp Nou, and Bayern Munich and Juventus will receive Chelsea and Lyon in Germany and Italy, respectively. The Bavarians beat the English side 3-0 in the first stage. And the French side defeated the Juventus 1-0 in France. UEFA appreciated all aspects before making a final decision, and after listening to teams, club doctors, and players. So they finally decided to prioritize competition fairness over any other point.
Porto and Guimaraes’s home grounds were proposed for second matches. But European football’s governing body chose their team stadiums for the games. It means another trip for four teams, but UEFA has drawn up a health protocol to offer players and the coaching staff a safe environment with the least possible risk. The situation with the Europa League is more complicated. As the two games of the first stage – Roma against Seville and Inter against Getafe – have yet to play. They will be held in a one-legged tie on a neutral site on August 5 and 6. Meanwhile, the remaining matches will be held on the home grounds of the teams that played as visitors back in March.