With the comeback against Napoli last Wednesday, Chelsea secured sixth place in the table and a place in the round of 16 of the Champions Leaguealong with four other English teams. That location would allow them to play the first leg as a visitor and define the series at home, but a UEFA rule threatens to complicate those plans.
The regulations of the highest body of European football prohibits two continental competition matches from being played in the same city on the same day. Therein lies the problem for Liam Rosenior’s team: Two other London clubs finished above Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenhamwhich leaves the team where Enzo Fernández and Alejandro Garnacho play with less room for maneuver.
The round of 16 rematches are scheduled for March 17 and 18. For having finished better positioned, the Arsenal has priority to choose a date, while Tottenham, fourth, would keep the other available day. Thus, Chelsea would be left without a place in London to play their decisive match.
What are the possible solutions?
At Stamford Bridge they evaluate three possible paths to resolve the conflict. The first would be to request a change of day and play on a Thursdaya day destined for Europe and the Conference League, something that could generate crossovers with other London teams such as Crystal Palace, and problems with television.
Another option is invest the locations with one of their possible rivals (PSG, Monaco, Qarabag or Newcastle), playing the first leg at home and defining the series as a visitor, giving up the advantage obtained by direct classification. The third alternative is look for a neutral stadium outside Londonwhich would allow him to keep the assigned date even if he cannot play at his own home.
This is how the Champions League playoffs were
This is how the Champions League crosses (UEFA) remained.Real Madrid (9°) vs. Benfica (24°)
Inter (10°) vs. Bodo Glimt (23°)
PSG (11°) vs. Monaco (21°)
Newcastle (12°) vs. Qarabag (22°)
Juventus (13°) vs. Galatasaray (20°)
Atlético de Madrid (14th) vs. Bruges (19th)
Atalanta (15°) vs. Borussia Dortmund (17°)
Bayer Leverkusen (16th) vs. Olympiacos (18th)
When are the Champions League playoffs played?
All of these round of 16 matches will be in mid-February. The first legs, which will be played in the stadium of the lowest ranked team, will take place on Tuesday the 17th and Wednesday the 18th. The return matches, for their part, will be played on Tuesday the 24th and Wednesday the 25th in the stadium of the best classified team.
