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Champions League: UEFA changes format and confirms return date

Champions League: UEFA changes format and confirms return date
"To say that it will be a good decision to bring the Champions to Portugal. Safely, as the championship return has been".
by Academia   |   comments 0
Friday, June 19 2020

This last Wednesday, it was confirmed by UEFA that the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, will host the final stretch of the Champions League, between 7 and 23 of August at Estádio da Luz, home of Benfica and José Alvalade, home of Sporting. Some changes have been made over the past few days, the most impactful is that the matches will be made in a single game. After the conclusion of the round of 16, the remaining phases will be decided in just one match between the clubs.

There are still four games left in the round of 16 of the Champions League that was interrupted due to a stoppage by the pandemic. The games in question that still remain to be played are: Manchester City vs Real Madrid, Bayern vs Chelsea, Juventus vs Lyon, Barcelona vs Napoli. Such games are scheduled to take place on the 7th and 8th of August.

During these months, there have been changes regarding the league stage. Turkey was supposed to host the 2020 final, but ended up getting a postponement to host the 2021 final. St. Petersburg has also undergone changes, now it will host the final in 2022.

The definition of these changes took place at a UEFA meeting that decided that the Europa League would be concluded in Germany between the 10th and 21st of August, however, the round of 16 would not have an official place yet. For now, the Women's Champions has received confirmation that the match will be held in Spain, adhering to the new rules of five changes per match in all competitions.

Now on the agenda are the European Cup matches, where UEFA confirmed for the year 2021, starting on June 11th. The Champions League and other continental competitions are still being maintained, with no changes to their respective dates.

Between the 12th and 15th of August, the quarterfinals will be held, between the 18th and 19th of August, the semifinals and the final on the 23rd of August. According to informations, the hotel units are already being reserved for the finalist teams with training locations available for the eight clubs to train.

The Portuguese Health Authority reported the total security of the Portuguese authorities in guaranteeing the UEFA championship in Portugal:

"To say that it will be a good decision to bring the Champions to Portugal. Safely, as the championship return has been". With well-defined circuits, with testing, with all the methodology that the health authorities have implemented and that will continue with the work of the Portuguese Football Association and international organizations".

It is worth mentioning that this will be the third time that the Champions League will be hosted in Portugal.