First Leg Of Atletico Madrid Vs Chelsea To Be Played In Romania
Atletico Madrid’s UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg clash with Chelsea, originally scheduled to be played at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium, will now be held in Romania as a result of Coronavirus restrictions put in place by the home side’s country.
Spain has banned travelers from the UK, where the new coronavirus variant is spreading alarmingly.
Diego Simeone’s men were due to host Chelsea at the Metropolitano on February 23 but the game will now be played in Bucharest.
In a statement released on Wednesday, European football's governing body wrote: “UEFA is able to officially confirm that the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Chelsea FC will now be played at the Arena Nationala in Bucharest.
“The date of the match (23 February 2021) and the kick-off time (21:00 CET) will remain the same.
“UEFA would like to express its gratitude to Club Atletico de Madrid and Chelsea FC for their support and close cooperation, as well as the Romanian Football Federation for their assistance and agreeing to stage the match.”
The first leg of RB Leipzig’s encounter with Liverpool and Borussia Monchengladbach’s game against Manchester City have already been moved to the Puskas Arena in Hungary for similar reasons. The games will take place on February 16 and February 24 respectively.
