Chelsea will now play Atletico Madrid in Bucharest, after UEFA confirmed that the Champions League clash between the sides has been moved to the Romanian capital due to coronavirus ban placed on UK travelers to the Spanish capital.
The match was due to be played at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium but UEFA regulations dictated that an alternative venue must be found by the Spanish club – with Warsaw also having been looked at.
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 ban on UK travelers was a necessity, owing to the fact that the United Kingdom rakes the highest number of coronavirus cases including a particularly transmissible new variant of the disease which has led to bans from some countries in Europe.
Meanwhile, it is understood that Chelsea’s match at Stamford Bridge isn’t under threat as the UK has not banned visitors from Spain.
The west Londoners will benefit from the recent development as there have been more away wins than home wins in the Premier League so far, which shows the impact of having no supporters to cheer a team.
There are injury worries at Stamford Bridge for the upcoming game as Thiago Silva and Kai Havertz are currently sidelined, but Atleti have also lost their first team players to the virus.
Thomas Lemar, Hector Herrera, Joao Felix, Moussa Dembele, Yannick Carrasco and Mario Hermoso are all self-isolating having tested positive for the virus.
