Why Barcelona want Champions League round of 16 match moved to 18 March | OneFootball

Presidential elections force club into talks with UEFA

Why Barcelona want Champions League round of 16 match moved to 18 March

Barcelona have sent formal request to UEFA to change the date of their Champions League last 16 match due to club elections.

Why Barcelona contacted UEFA

Barcelona have officially contacted UEFA with request linked to their upcoming Champions League schedule.

The Catalan club have already secured direct qualification to the round of 16 after finishing inside the top eight at the end of the league phase.

Barcelona are now waiting for the draw to learn their next opponent in the competition.

However, a scheduling issue has appeared due to an important internal event at the club.

Clash with presidential elections

Barcelona are set to hold their club presidential elections on 15 March. The same date is expected to fall close to their La Liga match against Sevilla although the league has not yet confirmed the final kick-off date.

The situation becomes more complex if Barcelona are required to play second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie on Tuesday, 17 March.

In that case the domestic match schedule would need to be adjusted.

Request to move the European fixture

According to Sport, Barcelona have already submitted formal request to UEFA to move Champions League second leg to Wednesday 18 March.

If UEFA approve the request, Barcelona would play first leg away from home on Tuesday 10 March before hosting the return leg at their own stadium eight day later.

The club are now waiting for UEFA’s response which will directly affect both their European and domestic calendars.