4 months not on time due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Champions League has reached the quarter-final stage with Paris Saint-Germain taking over outsiders Atalanta in Lisbon on Wednesday within the first sport of the ‘Ultimate Eight’. A straight knockout ultimate match held in a single place, akin to a World Cup or European Championship, was the one resolution obtainable to UEFA as a way to full its most profitable membership competitors, suspended for 5 months from March till final weekend.
Two-legged quarter-finals and semi-finals have been completed away with, and all eight groups have come to Lisbon, the place they’re following strict well being tips together with common testing. No spectators are allowed inside stadiums.
PSG will subsequently meet Atalanta at an empty Estadio da Luz on Wednesday at 1900 GMT, with the winners advancing to a semi-final in opposition to both Atletico Madrid or RB Leipzig, who play on Thursday.
The opposite quarter-finals are Barcelona in opposition to Bayern Munich — the one golf equipment nonetheless within the competitors to have gained it earlier than — and Manchester Metropolis in opposition to Lyon.
The ultimate can be on August 23, and UEFA can solely hope there is no such thing as a widespread outbreak of COVID-19 amongst any of the groups which might threaten the match.
European soccer’s governing physique has mentioned that so long as a group has 13 wholesome gamers together with a goalkeeper, matches should go forward, in any other case groups danger forfeiting matches.
There was a scare on the weekend when it was revealed two Atletico gamers had examined constructive, however their squad has travelled to Portugal and their sport is ready to go forward.
Earlier than that match, PSG will look to achieve the semi-finals for the primary time because the Qatari takeover virtually a decade in the past they usually got a lift on the eve of their match in opposition to Atalanta as Kylian Mbappe was declared match sufficient to play a component by coach Thomas Tuchel.
“If he trains properly on Tuesday night and nothing extraordinary occurs, he can be within the group on Wednesday,” Tuchel mentioned.
Mbappe was left in a race in opposition to time to be match for the beginning of the ‘Ultimate Eight’ after struggling a sprained ankle in PSG’s French Cup ultimate win over Saint-Etienne on July 24.
– ‘Further motivation’ –
Opponents Atalanta — with an annual wage invoice for his or her complete squad believed to be equal to Neymar’s wage for the yr at PSG — are within the Champions League for the primary time.
The Italians are recent from ending third in Serie A and are spurred on by the horrible struggling of their dwelling metropolis of Bergamo on the peak of the pandemic earlier this yr.
“There’s additional motivation for us after what has occurred. We now have to characterize our metropolis in the absolute best manner and provides the folks one thing to smile about,” mentioned the Atalanta coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, on Tuesday.
The ultimate of this season’s Champions League was initially resulting from be performed in Istanbul in late Might earlier than it was postponed and this new format launched.
Often such an occasion would see an enormous inflow of overseas followers however the ambiance in Lisbon this time is somewhat completely different, even when some supporters have travelled and one research has estimated 16,000 will are available in complete over the subsequent 10 days.
“The ambiance is weird. Town appears empty and the bars shut early,” one Atalanta fan, who plans to observe the match in a bar, advised AFP.
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Restrictions stay in place in and round Lisbon in an try to cease a resurgence of the virus.
These embody limiting gatherings to not more than 10 folks and banning alcohol consumption in public, whereas outlets and cafes should shut at eight:00pm, the time matches will kick off.
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