Liverpool will not play at the iconic Santiago Bernabeu stadium tonight despite taking on Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Spanish giants, who have lifted the European Cup on a record 13 occasions, will host the six-time winning Reds in the first leg this evening.
Unlike in the last 16 when German regulations saw Liverpool play both of their matches with RB Leipzig in Budapest, Jurgen Klopp’s side will return to Anfield for the second leg on April 14th.
However, Liverpool will not be playing in Real’s 81,044 capacity home in the Chamartin district of Spain’s capital city.
The stadium is currently undergoing extensive renovations with the club taking advantage of the current coronavirus-induced ban on spectators enabling them to accelerate their project which includes building a retractable roof.
There will also be a new exterior to the stadium and an underground car park put in place.
Work had originally been planned to finish in the summer of 2022 but club president Florentino Perez announced last June it had begun ahead of schedule.
While the stadium refurbishments are taking place, Real’s first team have decamped to the 6,000 capacity Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium, home of Real Madrid Castilla, their reserve team who play in the third tier of Spanish football.
The ground is situated inside Real’s training complex at Valdebebas, some eight miles out from the Bernabeu and close to the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport.
*A version of this article was originally published in March 2021.
