Pep Guardiola’s side won the first leg 2-0 at Puskas Arena, and the second leg will now take place at the same stadium in the Hungarian capital
Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach’s second-leg match in the Champions League last 16 will be held in Budapest due to coronavirus restrictions, UEFA has confirmed.
The first leg was also held in the Hungarian capital, with City defeating the Bundesliga outfit 2-0 at the Puskas Arena on February 24.
Pep Guardiola’s men served as the away side in the first leg and will now be the home side as they face Gladbach in the second leg next Tuesday at the same venue.
What has been said?
UEFA said in a statement on Wednesday morning: “UEFA is able to officially confirm that the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match between Manchester City FC and Borussia VfL 1900 Monchengladbach will now be played at the Puskas Aréna in Budapest.
“The date of the match (16 March 2021) and the kick-off time (21:00CET) will remain the same.
“UEFA would like to thank Manchester City FC and Borussia VfL 1900 Monchengladbach for their support and close cooperation, as well as the Hungarian Football Federation for their assistance and agreeing to stage the match.”
Why are the games being held in Hungary?
Instead of holding the games in Germany and England, the two sides will play both matches in Budapest due to coronavirus restrictions on travel.
The German government denied City entry into the country for the first leg amid concerns over new strains of coronavirus, which are prevalent in the UK.
Should Gladbach have travelled to England for the second leg, the German government informed the team last month that they would need to quarantine upon their return.
What other games have been held in Budapest?
Aside from the Man City-Gladbach tie, both of Liverpool’s clashes with RB Leipzig were relocated to the Puskas Arena – as was Tottenham’s Europa League last-32 first leg against Austrian side Wolfsberger.
The stadium is also set to host the Europa League last-16 second leg between Molde and Granada on March 18.