Why Chelsea may have to play next Champions League match in neutral venue after Napoli win

The governing body's rules permit only a single match to take place in any given city on the same night, creating a potential scheduling nightmare for the west London club.

Should this regulation be enforced, Chelsea would be required to stage their home leg at a neutral ground, representing a significant disadvantage in what promises to be a crucial tie.

Both Arsenal and Tottenham secured higher positions than Chelsea during the group phase of the competition.

This grants them first choice over the scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday fixtures on March 17 and 18.

This priority system leaves Chelsea in a difficult position, requiring them to either obtain special permission from Uefa to waive the restriction or secure backing from London's local authorities to permit the match.

The rationale behind the rule is to ensure adequate policing resources are available without overstretching security services across multiple venues.

Given that numerous London football fixtures regularly take place simultaneously at weekends, gaining local authority approval should not prove problematic.

Uefa regulations prohibit clubs from hosting matches in the same stadium, city, or within a 30-mile radius on any given match day.

For knockout fixtures, the governing body requires national associations and clubs to identify and announce, in advance, an alternative stadium where a match could be staged during the relevant week.

According to Uefa rules: "In such a case, the team with the lower ranking in the league phase must play in the alternative venue."

However, an exception allows a club to reverse the tie entirely, playing the home leg first rather than relocating the second leg to a different ground.

The club would need to notify Uefa before the draw.

One alternative for Chelsea would be to request their fixture be moved to Thursday.

This would step outside the traditional Tuesday and Wednesday Champions League schedule.

Such a change would require broadcasters to alter their programming arrangements, which they may be reluctant to do.

Uefa confirmed that discussions regarding scheduling conflicts remain ongoing.

They said: "Discussions on scheduling are ongoing with local authorities regarding city clashes for upcoming matches, including those to be played in March."

Chelsea's last-16 opponents will be drawn from Monaco, Qarabag, Newcastle or PSG, and the club will be keen to retain the competitive advantage that comes with hosting a leg at their home ground.

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