Manchester United’s home Champions League quarter-final clash against Barcelona will have to be rearranged to accommodate Manchester City.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were drawn as the away side against La Liga giants on Friday, but the two legs will have to be switched.
Pep Guardiola’s side, who joined United in the last eight with a 10-2 aggregate thrashing of German side Schalke on Tuesday, were drawn against Tottenham Hotspur. They were also pulled out as the away side for the first leg.
Because both teams have been drawn to play at home on the same week United’s tie has been reversed. It means any advantage United may have had from playing at home in the second leg has now been lost.
The decision was made by local authorities as they do not allow City and United to play at home on the same night or consecutive nights.
The reason why it would be United having to switch and not City is because, according to Uefa Club Competitions Committee principles, the team that finished lower in the domestic league the previous season has to have their clash switched. Of course, there would be no problem if the two sides drew each other.
The rules would also be in place should both teams progress to the semi-final of the competition. The other teams in the draw are Liverpool, Tottenham, Ajax, Porto, Barcelona and Juventus.