Manchester United to face Real Sociedad at Juventus Stadium in Italy

Man United to face Real Sociedad in Turin as UEFA confirm Europa League first-leg ‘away’ fixture will be held at the Juventus Stadium due to Covid restrictions preventing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side travelling to Spain

  • Manchester United’s Europa League clash with Real Sociedad has been moved
  • The match will take place on the same date but the action will unfold in Italy
  • Turin’s Juventus Stadium has been allocated the fixture for the first leg match
  • Covid-19 travel restrictions in Spain meant it was not possible the host the game
  • Kick-off for the game remains at 5.55pm in the evening (6.55pm CET) 

The first leg of Manchester United’s Europa League last 32 knock-out clash against Real Sociedad has been confirmed to take place in Turin.

The two sides will meet inside the home of the Serie A reigning champions Juventus, due to travel restrictions in Spain amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A statement was released by tournament hosts UEFA on Monday, when and where the fixture will take place.

Manchester United’s Europa League match against Real Sociedad will be played in Turin, Italy

The statement read: ‘UEFA can confirm that the UEFA Europa League Round of 32 first leg match between Real Sociedad and Manchester United FC will now take place at the Juventus Stadium in Turin. 

‘The date of the match (18 February 2021) and kick-off time (18:55CET) will remain the same.

‘UEFA would like to thank Real Sociedad and Manchester United FC for their close cooperation and assistance in finding a solution to the issue at hand, as well as the Italian Football Federation and Juventus for their support and agreeing to host the match in question.’

United will head to the Juventus stadium, frequented by former star Cristiano Ronaldo and Co.

It will be United’s second visit to Juventus Stadium, home of the 36-time Italian champions since 2011. 

Current travel restrictions in Spain, implemented due to the ongoing battle against Covid-19, mean that teams from the United Kingdom are currently not permitted to enter the country. 

The Spanish government has not granted elite sports people exemption to allow teams such as United to travel to the country for the game without the need to quarantine.

Like last year the tournament has been disrupted, with United playing the quarters in Germany

The second leg at Old Trafford, on February 25 is not affected by the same restrictions and will go ahead as planned behind closed doors.

The disruption to the tournament continues, after last season’s offering was also hampered in its latter stages.

The knock-out rounds were concluded as one-off ties in Germany due to the disruption caused by the pandemic, with United defeating Copenhagen in Cologne before then being beaten by Sevilla.




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