This season’s UEFA Champions League and Europa League are set for unprecedented dramatic finishes following the suspension of the two competitions due to the outbreak of the novel corona virus pandemic.
Europe’s football-governing body, UEFA is putting plans in motion to organize a World Cup-style, two-week tournament to complete the 2019-20 campaign.
Three cities – Lisbon, Frankfurt and Moscow – are in the running to host the competitions, which will see one-legged quarter-finals and semi-finals help decide the winners.
The Champions League was suspended in March with Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid at Anfield the last tie before lockdown, with other last-16 ties yet to be completed.
Those match-ups will finally reach a conclusion at the tournament in August, with the matches taking place over a two week period, according to the Independent.
Istanbul was set to host the Champions League final again this season but with fans set to be barred from the climax, the cost is no longer feasible.
UEFA are set to release the decision on how to complete the campaign on June 17, with the two-week tournament reportedly the favoured option so far.
Lisbon have reportedly emerged as the favourite to host if the plans are confirmed, with Moscow already being ruled-out by the requirement set out by UEFA, including safety surrounding coronavirus. Frankfurt is reportedly ready to host the Europa League, expecting to lose out on the premier competition.
While Liverpool’s last-16 tie reached its conclusion as the Reds crashed out, Chelsea are still waiting to attempt a stunning comeback from 3-0 down against Bayern Munich and Manchester City hope to stun Real Madrid again after a 2-1 first-leg win.
