Chelsea could be handed a disadvantage in this season's Champions League due to a little-known UEFA rule. Liam Rosenior's men progressed to the Round of 16 with an impressive 3-2 comeback win at Napoli.
Joao Pedro netted a glorious double after Enzo Fernandez had initially put the Blues in front in Naples. Antonio Conte's side fought back to gain a 2-1 half-time lead before crashing out of the competition altogether with a second-half collapse.
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The Blues got the job done but there was one glaring issue.
Despite making it to the last 16 of Europe's elite competition, Chelsea may now be forced to give up home advantage for one of their Round of 16 legs. Newcastle, Monaco, Qarabag and Paris Saint-Germain are the potential opponents Rosenior will need to plan for.
Chelsea May Be Forced Out of Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge
It would be a massive blow for the west Londoners, no matter which of those four teams they are drawn against. Usually, each team are given a home leg, but Chelsea might have to host theirs in a neutral venue.
UEFA's regulations stipulate (per Mail Sport) that only one game can be played in any given city on a Champions League night. Arsenal and Tottenham both finished above Chelsea in the league phase, meaning they get priority for the March 17 and 18 round of fixtures.
The reason behind this rule is that each game needs to be adequately policed without security resources being stretched too much. If their home leg clashes with either of their London rivals, Chelsea would need to request special dispensation from UEFA to throw the rule out.
London authorities would need to be contacted for approval also. Another solution could be for the Premier League giants to request that their game be played on a Thursday night instead.
UEFA's Guidance on Same-City Knockout Matches
chelsea corner flag
The governing body's regulations state that teams can't play in the same stadium, city or in cities within 30 miles on a matchday.
In the case of knockout fixtures, UEFA state: "The national association and clubs are required in advance to identify and announce an alternative stadium where a match can be played in the given match week.
"In such a case, the team with the lower ranking in the league phase must play in the alternative venue.
"Exceptionally however, in such a case, a team qualified to play the second leg of these rounds may decide, by informing the UEFA administration before the draw, to reverse the tie and play the first leg at home instead of playing the second leg in an alternative venue."
That means Rosenior's side could request to swap the dates of the scheduled home and away legs. They will need to wait for the outcome of the play-off matches before finding out who they will face in March.