The Champions League final is set to be played at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 10, however there's a chance that the venue could be dropped. The ground is home to the Turkish Football Federation and it's the largest capacity stadium in the country, housing 74,753 people.
But, according to the Independent, UEFA have contingency plans in place if the upcoming Turkish election causes political unrest in the city. The report states that UEFA are adamant that the final will still take place at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, however it's said that concerns have been raised.
The Champions League final has been switched from Istanbul twice already due to Covid, moving to Lisbon in 2020 and to Porto in 2021. The election in Turkey is to take place on May 14 – a month before the blockbuster clash – after support for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's autocratic presidential rule reportedly collapsed.
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If either Chelsea or Manchester City go the distance in the Champions League then they must be prepared to see the venue changed at the last minute – just as they did two years ago. However, it seems that this is more of a dilemma for Pep Guardiola rather than Frank Lampard, who must overcome a two-goal deficit against Real Madrid in the quarter-final second-leg.
Speaking to the press ahead of the tie, the Chelsea caretaker boss discussed the challenges his side will face against the reigning champions. Lampard said: "We’re not where we want to be. I think the word broken is a bit much, but we’re not where we want to be.
"That’s clear, the league position is a reality in the Premier League, we’re 2-0 down in this game, so I think those things are just reality. We have to work against that and show in every way we can because we’re in that moment.
"I don’t think anything tomorrow will be better than winning the Champions League in my opinion because we had many moments on that run of difficulties against Barcelona and Napoli. It was a huge run with a lot of big achievements.
"For us, considering the result now, considering the team we are up against and the moment we are in, we have to fight really hard to make it happen so of course that would be special."
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