UEFA's format change for the UEFA Champions League apparently was not approved by all the teams involved, and the first complain about the new format came from one of the top candidates to win the title.
Speaking at a press conference earlier today, Barcelona coach Quique Setién frowned upon the competition's format, where only one match will be played to determine the winner of each tie. With that in mind, Setién urged UEFA to allow Los Blaugranas to play the second leg of their tie against Napoli at Camp Nou Stadium rather than doing it at a neutral venue.
"All I can hope for is that we are allowed to play against Napoli here. Playing at a neutral venue is one thing, and playing at your own turf behind closed doors makes a huge difference," Setién said.
The Spanish boss went on about this issue, adding that playing the rest of the games in the Round of 16 at a neutral venue will be disappointing to all teams that were supposed to host the second leg ties.
"I think it's the worst-case scenario for Barcelona and for all. When there are two games, you can solve any problems created by an accident during a first leg. Now, it's all or nothing. We would all like to play two legs in each tie, but it seems that we will have to adapt to these circumstances," Setién added.
Barcelona drew the first leg of their tie at Napoli and were supposed to host the second leg at Camp Nou Stadium, but UEFA's decision will force the Blaugrana side to play as hosts at a neutral venue, unless their request to have the game played in Catalunya is heard. Nevertheless, that scenario seems like a long-shot considering all the problems UEFA had to reschedule the competition.
