Champions League 'Final 8' tournament to be held in Lisbon: Source
Uefa is set to complete the Champions League with a "Final Eight" tournament held over 11 days in Lisbon, according to a plan which will be presented to their executive committee for ratification today.
A source with knowledge of discussions between clubs and European football's governing body told Reuters that the proposal is expected to be agreed upon after a consensus was reached on Monday.
Uefa did not respond to a request for comment.
Under the plan, the competition, which was suspended in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will resume with the second leg of remaining last-16 games played at the scheduled venues.
The single-leg quarter-final games will be played in Lisbon on four straight days from Aug 12-15. The semi-finals will take place on Aug 18 and 19 and the final on Aug 23 in the Portuguese capital.
The plan allows for a quicker completion of the season than the traditional two-legged home and away format, but that does mean the competition will have six fewer games - which will cost Uefa broadcast revenue.
The games are likely to be shared between Lisbon's two major stadiums - Benfica's Estadio da Luz and Sporting Lisbon's Jose Alvalade.
Organisers are proceeding on the basis that matches will be played behind closed doors, but Uefa is understood to have left the door open for possible changes should public health conditions in Portugal allow.
The teams already qualified for the quarter-finals are Paris Saint-Germain, Atalanta, RB Leipzig and Atletico Madrid.
The remaining last 16 second-leg fixtures are Manchester City's home leg against Real Madrid, Chelsea's trip to Bayern Munich, Juventus' home game against Lyon and Napoli's visit to Barcelona.
Istanbul was due to host the 2020 final, but will instead be the venue for the 2021 edition, with all other scheduled hosts moving back a year.
A similar format will be used to decide the Europa League competition at German venues from Aug 10.
The remaining last-16 games will be held at neutral venues in Germany with the "Final Eight" played in Duisburg, Duesseldorf, Gelsenkirchen and Cologne. - REUTERS
REMAINING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
ROUND OF 16, 2ND-LEG MATCHES
- Juventus v Lyon (Lyon leading 1-0 from first leg)
- Manchester City v Real Madrid (City lead 2-1)
- Bayern Munich v Chelsea (Bayern lead 3-0)
- Barcelona v Napoli (sides tied 1-1)
TEAMS QUALIFIED FOR Q-FINALS
- Atalanta, RB Leipzig, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain
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