Manchester United’s Europa League first leg has been moved to Italy.
Manchester United will face Real Sociedad in the UEFA Europa League Round of 32 on the 18th of February. The first leg was scheduled to be played in San Sebastian. But the Spanish government has issued some restrictions on travelers from England as a result of COVID-19.
The match will now take place at Juventus’ Allianz Stadium instead. The rule was to curtail the spread of the new virus variant.
So, in this circumstance, UEFA decided to host the game in a neutral venue. The match will be played at Juventus’s Allianz Stadium in Turin.
ℹ️ Next week's #UEL round-of-32 first leg will now be played at a neutral venue.#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 9, 2021
The last time, Manchester United traveled to Allianz Stadium, was in 2018/19 UEFA Champions League group stage where the Red Devils beat Juventus at their home overturning Cristiano Ronaldo’s opener with a Juan Mata free-kick and Leonardo Bonucci own goal in a dramatic final five minutes of play.
UEFA was forced to change the venues for the UEFA Champions League’s tie of Manchester City and Liverpool as well. Liverpool’s and Manchester City’s Champions League ties against RB Leipzig and Borussia Mönchengladbach respectively will be played in Budapest, Hungary.
Arsenal’s Europa League venue is also set to be moved to another venue. The Gunners will face Benfica in a Round of 32 ties. The neutral venue for the match is yet to be decided.
