Manchester United were due to travel to Spain to play Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie on February 18; fixture has been moved to Turin to satisfy Spanish government restrictions on people entering the country from the UK
Tuesday 9 February 2021 16:51, UK
The first leg of Manchester United's Europa League last-32 tie with Real Sociedad has been moved from Spain to Juventus Stadium in Italy in order to satisfy the Spanish government's coronavirus rules.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side were due to travel to Spain for the away leg of their last-32 tie on February 18 but UEFA confirmed on Tuesday that coronavirus restrictions in that country have forced a change.
European football's governing body have sanctioned a switch of venue to Turin, with the date and kick-off time remaining the same.
The second leg of the tie remains at Old Trafford the following week, on February 25.
A statement read: "UEFA would like to thank Real Sociedad and Manchester United 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."
The first leg of Arsenal's last-32 match against Benfica has also been moved to Italy, with UK restrictions over people returning from Portugal the cause of the relocation.
The Europa League announcements come after Liverpool and Manchester City also had Champions League ties due to be played in Germany moved to Budapest.
Liverpool's clash with Leipzig on February 16 and City's encounter with Borussia Monchengladbach on February 24 will now both take place at the Puskas Arena in the Hungarian capital on their respective scheduled dates.
