Chelsea's Champions League 1st leg clash against Atletico Madrid to be staged in Romania
- Chelsea were scheduled to play Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano in Spain's capital
- But with UK flights currently banned in Spain, UEFA were forced to move the venue to Romania
- Man City and Liverpool are the other Premier League clubs affected by the travel restrictions
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The first leg of Chelsea's Champions League Round of 16 meeting with Atletico Madrid has been moved to Romania.
Source: Getty Images
The Blues were due to play Atletico at the Wanda Metropolitano but UEFA were forced to change the match venue due to the extension of a travel ban by the Spanish authorities.
It is understood UK flights remain banned in Spain due to the coronavirus variants which has hugely affected to the UK.
It is the third time the ban is being extended in Spain, with the current extension set to last up until Tuesday, March 2.
Chelsea, via UEFA have now confirmed the venue of their fixture slated for Tuesday, February 23, has now be played at the Arena Nationals in Bucharest.
"UEFA has confirmed that Chelsea’s Champions League Round of 16 first leg match away against Atletico Madrid and will now be played at the Arena Nationala in Bucharest in Romania," a statement on Chelsea's website said.
"The date of the match, Tuesday 23 February, and the kick-off (8pm UK time) will remain the same," the statement added.
Hungarian Football Association are understood to have agreed to host the tie which will be an advantage for City as it will be at a neutral ground.
Meanwhile, the second leg of Chelsea's last 16 meeting with Atletico is expected to be played at Stamford Bridge as earlier planned.
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The Blues head into the European competition double header at a time they are enjoying a mini-revival after the arrival of Thomas Tuchel.
The west London club remain unbeaten in four of their matches that Tuchel has managed them, with the side winning three Premier League matches on the bounce.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Chelsea are not the only club in the Premier League affected with the change of venue for their Champions League matches, with Man City and Liverpool also having theirs moved.
Manchester City will now be joining Premier League champions Liverpool in Budapest, Hungary to play their Champions League round of 16 encounter against German side Borussia Monchengladbach.
Liverpool have a duel against German side Leipzig and this tie is expected to be played at the Puskas Arena.
Source: Legit.ng
