Camp Nou: Club considering playing Champions League knockout stages outside of Barcelona | OneFootball

Barcelona are evaluating options to take their Champions League knockout games to different stadiums. The Blaugrana had planned to be back at Camp Nou, but their renovation work is well behind schedule.

Having planned to return to the Spotify Camp Nou, Barcelona City Council have organised to host events at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys later in the year. It means that should Barcelona reach the latter stages of the knockouts in the Champions League, Montjuic will not be available, forcing Barcelona to consider other venues, as per Marca. As UEFA do not allow clubs to switch stages during the knockout phase or league phase, whichever ground they pick they will have to stick with.

The most obvious alternative is the RCDE Stadium, which belongs to rivals Espanyol, and located in Cornella, is the closest option to the city centre. The 40,000-seater meets all of UEFA’s requirements, but there are those within Barcelona’s hierarchy that want no part in playing at Espanyol’s ground.

Their other options are Mestalla in Valencia and the Metropolitano in Madrid. The latter is the biggest, holding 70,000 fans, and has the best facilities, but the distance from Barcelona is an issue. It is nearly twice as far as Valencia, where Mestalla could host them.

The decision will not be taken soon, as Barcelona will hold out hope for advances at Camp Nou that will allow them to return home. At this early stage it appears they have not consulted with Valencia, Atletico Madrid or Espanyol, and they would obviously need their permission to host the games there.