UEFA has announced that the remaining last-16 second-leg matches in both the Champions League and Europa competitions will be played at various home grounds behind closed doors.
Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Paris St-Germain, and RB Leipzig are already in the quarter-finals but there are four last-16 ties where the second leg still has yet to be decided.
Manchester City defeated Real Madrid 2-1 away at the Bernabeu and would look to consolidate on the advantage now that they can host the return leg at the Etihad.
UEFA has also given the green light for Chelsea’s second-leg with Bayern Munich to take place at the German champions’ Allianz Arena, with Chelsea trailing behind Bayern after a 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge in February.
Barcelona and Juventus would look to secure a last 8 tie as both teams look to change the narrative after drawing and losing in their previous games respectively.
UEFA said the decision to play last-16 matches at home stadia applies where clubs are “currently playing the remaining matches of their domestic leagues in their own stadiums and that traveling is possible without restrictions for the visiting clubs.” Barcelona and Juventus will also be allowed to host the second leg of their last-16 matches.
UEFA confirmed on Thursday it had clearance from public authorities in Spain, Germany, Italy, and England to let the teams play at home on August 7 and 8.
See also: Lisbon to host the remainder of the Champions League
The executive committee also announced that all remaining last-16 matches will take place at the home grounds in the Europa League.
It means Manchester United and Wolves will both play their second legs at home against LASK and Olympiakos respectively on August 5 or 6.
United hold a 5-0 first-leg lead, while Wolves have an advantage of an away goal following their 1-1 draw in Greece in March.
Rangers will go to Germany to face Bayer Leverkusen in their second leg with a 3-1 deficit.
Related: Final 8th format for Champions League and Europa League competitions
Champions League and Europa League mini-tournaments
Starting on August 12, the Champions League quarter-finals will be played on four straight nights in single-leg knockout games at the home stadiums of Benfica and Sporting Lisbon while the quarter-finals of the Europa are scheduled for August 10 and 11 in Cologne, Duisburg, Dusseldorf, and Gelsenkirchen.
The semi-finals will take place on August 16 and 17 for the Europa, and 18 and 19 for the Champions League.
The quarter-finals and semi-finals pairings will be drawn on Friday at UEFA headquarters.
Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, and Paris Saint-Germain have already advanced to the last eight.
The final was postponed from May 30 which ought to take place at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul but will now host the 2021 final instead.
The Europa League’s last-16 second legs will take place on August 5 and 6, with Inter Milan vs Getafe and Sevilla vs Roma being reduced to a single knockout game as their first legs were also postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic
The final will be played on Friday, August 21 in Cologne, replacing the postponed May 27 final in Gdansk, Poland.
How will the draw work?
Three draws will take place to decide both the Champions League and Europa on the road to the final. One for the quarter-finals, one for the semi-finals, and one to determine the ‘home’ side in the final for administrative purposes. All ties will be one-off matches.
No teams will be seeded and there will be no country protection, meaning sides can face domestic rivals.
It seems only fair but its it’s not the same. Facts suggest that playing without home fans affect performance. But I guess that’s the best UEFA can do under the present circumstances.