NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Tottenham was the latest Premier League club to have its next European game moved to a neutral country on Friday because of travel restrictions in England during the pandemic.
Six of the seven English clubs in either the Champions League or Europa League will play their first-leg games this month in neutral countries. Only Leicester still has its originally scheduled game, away to Slavia Prague in the Czech capital. That is in the Europa League round of 32 next Thursday.
UEFA said Tottenham will play Austrian side Wolfsberger next Thursday in Budapest, Hungary.
Liverpool and Manchester City are already going to the Puskas Arena in Budapest in the next two weeks for Champions League games because they are barred from entering Germany. They face Leipzig and Borussia Mönchengladbach, respectively, in first legs of the round of 16.
Arsenal was moved for a second time on Friday, and will go to Greece to host Benfica in the Europa League.
The second leg game in the round of 32 will be played at the home stadium of Olympiakos in Piraeus on Feb. 25, one week after Benfica’s “home” game takes place in Rome at Stadio Olimpico.
UEFA previously said the away goals rule will apply even though neither Arsenal nor Benfica has home advantage.
Both neutral venues were already being prepared for use in the Europa League. Olympiakos hosts PSV Eindhoven next week and Roma hosts Braga on Feb. 25.
English clubs cannot travel to some European countries while an aggressively transmissible COVID-19 variant originating in Britain is spreading.
Chelsea is going to Bucharest, Romania, to face Atlético Madrid in a Champions League first-leg game.
Manchester United will go to Juventus’ stadium in Turin to play Real Sociedad in the Europa League next week.
Arsenal is the only Premier League club yet confirmed to play its home game outside of England.
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