DORTMUND, GERMANY - Wednesday, April 6, 2016: Liverpool players during a training session at Westfalenstadion ahead of the UEFA Europa League Quarter-Final 1st Leg match against Borussia Dortmund. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Dortmund plan to host Liverpool’s Champions League game vs. Midtjylland

UPDATE: Less than 24 hours after Dortmund’s announcement, UK authorities have eased the travel restrictions applying to elite athletes, allowing them to be exempt from the quarantine rules and the game will now go ahead as planned in Midtjylland.


As reported earlier this month, Denmark is currently off the UK’s travel corridor due to a new strand of coronavirus emerging in the country, with any person travelling back from the Scandinavian country required to self-isolate for 14 days.

An exemption was made for the Iceland national team for the recent UEFA Nations League loss to England at Wembley, following their previous match being against Denmark in Copenhagen.

But no such allowance is expected to be made for Liverpool, leaving UEFA to find a new venue for the tie.

Now, Borussia Dortmund have confirmed that their Signual Iduna Park (Westfalenstadion) is confirmed to host the match on 9 December (5.55pm GMT kick-off time), explaining in a brief statement:

The reason for the change in venue is the UK Coronavirus regulations, which dictate that people returning from Denmark must spend 14 days in quarantine. Instead, Midtjylland and Liverpool – led by former BVB coach Jürgen Klopp – will now go head-to-head in Dortmund.

Of course, as with most things in the current times, the situation is somewhat fluid and should changes could be made to the UK travel restrictions or indeed an exemption being made by the government.

But with a suitable, neutral venue having been now confirmed, it seems unlikely the government would make such an exemption.

The venue change is yet to be confirmed by Liverpool or UEFA.

Liverpool will be hoping to have qualification for the Champions League knockout stages already secured by then, with a draw or win against Ajax next Tuesday night securing progress for Jurgen Klopp‘s side.

That would allow Klopp to rotate his squad for the final ‘dead rubber’ match against the Danish side.