UCL 18-19: How Man City forced Man Utd to play Barcelona second leg at Camp Nou

What is the story?

Despite being drawn to play the return leg at the Old Trafford, Manchester United have been forced to play the second leg of the crucial quarter-final tie of the Champions League in the Catalan capital due to rules & regulations of UEFA. Barcelona will have now the 'so-called' advantage of playing the return leg at their beloved Camp Nou.

In case you didn’t know….

The first leg of this mouth-watering quarter-final was supposed to be played at the Camp Nou on the April 10, while the return leg was scheduled to be played on April 16 at Old Trafford but now they are forced to play it in reverse order.

Manchester United thumped PSG 3-1 at the Parc des Princes and overturned a 2-0 deficit from the first leg at Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford took the stoppage time penalty and scored the all important third away goal which saw them through to the quarters. Romelu Lukaku starred for the Red Devils after scoring two crucial goals.

On the other hand, Lionel Messi guided Barcelona to a demolishing 5-1 victory over Lyon in the round of 16 tie. The blue-eyed-boy of Barcelona was in scintillating form against the French League 1 side, bagging two goals and two assists. After wasteful finishing in the first leg, it was supposed to be a tricky fixture for Barcelona, but Ernesto Valverde’s side made it a cakewalk, all thanks to their talisman.

FC Barcelona v Olympique Lyonnais - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Second Leg

The heart of the matter…

UEFA have ordered Manchester United to play the first leg at their home soil due to regulations of the United European Football Association.

Regulations prohibit United and City from playing home games either on the same night or on consecutive nights, so one of them had to make a change for the other because City was drawn to play Tottenham on April 17 at the Etihad.

Due to City finishing higher in the Premier League last season than their city rivals, the Citizens will have now the advantage of playing the return leg at their home.

What’s Next?

Though we have to wait for almost a month to find out how much effect it will have on the outcome of the tie, but if given a chance, the Red Devils would have surely liked to play the return leg at their Theatre of Dreams.