EUROPEAN football is back but facing more than a few difficulties due to the outbreak of coronavirus.
A number of fixtures have already been announced as behind closed doors – and some postponed as the killer bug continues to spread.
PSG will take on Dortmund without any fans presentCredit: AFP or licensors
Which Champions League matches are behind closed doors?
The following Champions League games are behind closed doors:
Barcelona vs Napoli
Bayern Munich vs Chelsea
Which Europa League matches are behind closed doors?
The following Europa League games will be held behind closed doors:
First leg
LASK vs Man Utd
Olympiacos vs Wolves
Wolfsburg vs Shakhtar Donestk
Frankfurt vs Basel
Second leg
Bayer Leverkusen vs Rangers
Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis has tested positive for coronavirusCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Which Champions League and Europa League matches have been postponed?
Two Europa League matches have been called off this week. They are:
Inter vs Getafe
Sevilla vs Roma
Both were scheduled to be played behind closed doors but Getafe refused to fly to Milan under any circumstances, which left Uefa no choice but to cancel the game.
Meanwhile, Roma were denied permission to land in Seville by the Spanish authorities.
Wolves did ask for their game at Olympiacos on Thursday to be called off after the Greek club’s owner Evangelos Marinakis tested positive for coronavirus.
However, Uefa have ordered it to go ahead.
Basel have announced that their return match against Frankfurt next week will not be played in Switzerland, and will be called off if a new venue cannot be found.
In the Champions League, Man City vs Real Madrid has been called off after the Spanish club went into self-quarantine when one of their basketball players tested positive for coronavirus.
And in Italy, Juventus vs Lyon has been called off after Juve defender Daniele Rugani tested positive.
It is also difficult to envisage Barcelona vs Napoli going ahead, with the Italian side currently under lockdown.
Will Champions League and Europa League be cancelled?
Although games have only been played behind closed doors so far, Uefa are now under pressure to cancel both competitions and start fresh next season.
Uefa have announced they will hold a video conference on Tuesday, March 17 to discuss the current situation with all domestic and European competitions in mind, including Euro 2020.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
