Champions League to resume behind closed doors in August

The Champions League, Europe’s top football club competition, will resume behind closed doors next month after being halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, with all the quarter-finals being played in Portugal’s capital, Lisbon.

UEFA, European football’s governing body, held the draw for the one-leg quarter-finals and semi-finals at their headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday.

Four quarter-finalists were confirmed before the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the season, while the remaining four last-16 second legs will be played at the respective clubs’ home stadiums.

Spanish giants Real Madrid could meet Italian side Juventus of its former hero Cristiano Ronaldo, while German league leaders Bayern Munich may face Barcelona. 

Real must first conclude their last-16 tie with Manchester City. They enter the second, away, leg trailing 2-1, having lost at home.

Juventus, meanwhile, must overcome a 1-0 first-leg defeat by Olympique Lyonnais in the last-16 stage when they play again in Turin.

Friday’s draw also paired tournament debutants Atalanta with Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig with Atletico Madrid.

The quarter-finals and semi-finals will be played as one-off knock-out matches rather than two-legged ties as normal. The final will be played on August 23. 

Here is the complete schedule of matches: 

Quarterfinal draw (August 12-15)

QF 1: Real Madrid or Manchester City v Olympique Lyonnais or Juventus

QF 2: RB Leipzig v Atletico Madrid

QF 3: Napoli or Barcelona v Chelsea or Bayern Munich

QF 4: Atalanta v Paris St Germain

Semi-final draw (August 18-19)

S1: Winners of QF 1 v Winners of QF 3

S2: Winners of QF 2 v Winners of QF 4 

Final (August 23)

Winners of S1 v S2