Chelsea’s away Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid will now take place in Bucharest due to coronavirus travel concerns.
The UK is implementing strict Covid-19 quarantine rules around people returning from Spain, meaning the first leg of the last-16 tie will be staged at the Arena Nationala in the Romanian capital.
“UEFA has confirmed that Chelsea’s Champions League round-of-16 first-leg match away against Atletico Madrid will now be played at the Arena Nationala in Bucharest in Romania,” a Chelsea statement read.
“The date of the match, Tuesday, February 23, and the kick-off (8pm UK time) will remain the same.
An important update on our @ChampionsLeague last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid...
Advertisement— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 10, 2021
“The second leg at Stamford Bridge is on Wednesday, March 17 at 8pm.”
Spain is on a ‘red list’ of countries drawn up by the UK Government.
The first legs of Liverpool and Manchester City’s Champions League ties against RB Leipzig and Borussia Monchengladbach have been moved to Budapest, while Arsenal and Manchester United have seen the first legs of their Europa League last-32 clashes moved to Rome and Turin, respectively.
