Why were Real Madrid – Liverpool played in Valdebebas and Atlético – Chelsea played in Romania?

Alfredo Di Stéfano hosts their fifth Champions League game tonight. Nothing more and nothing less than a Real Madrid-Liverpool, a meeting of 19 European Cups in the quarterfinals of the highest continental competition. Nevertheless, the match was close to being played far, far away from Valdebebas. Due to anti-COVID measures, Spain maintained a veto on the entry of travelers from the United Kingdom until March 30. A restriction that prevented several Spanish teams from playing in their stadiums commitments from previous rounds not only in the Champions League, but also in the Europa League and also in the Women's Champions League. Finally, the Council of Ministers decided at its meeting on March 23 that it would not extend the veto. For this reason, Real Madrid-Liverpool, and also Granada-Manchester United on Thursday in the Europa League quarter-finals, can be played in Spain.

Those restrictions, on the other hand, prevented Atlético de Madrid from playing the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Chelsea at the Wanda Metropolitano.. A match that the rojiblancos played in Bucharest (Romania). Colchoneras and Londoners also saw each other in the Women's Champions League. Their second round match in the second round moved to Monza (Italy).

The other Spanish team that was affected by these restrictions was Real Sociedad, in their duel of the first leg of the round of 32 of the Europa League against Manchester United. The txuri-urdin chose the Allianz Stadium in Turin for their commitment against the red devils.

The vetoes that different countries have imposed on the entry of British citizens or the trips to the United Kingdom of their own nationals have led to several changes of scenery this season in European club and national team competitions. Strictly speaking of the Champions League, the two Leipzig-Liverpool and Borussia Mönchengladbach-Manchester City knockout matches were played in Budapest (Hungary). In these quarterfinals, the two games of the tie between Porto and Chelsea will be played at the Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in Seville.