Liverpool's Champions League tie with RB Leipzig in jeopardy due to travel ban
By Sean Walsh
Liverpool's Champions League tie with RB Leipzig is in jeopardy due to a flight ban imposed by the German government.
Germany have banned all incoming flights from the UK until February 17 in an attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus.
However, Liverpool are scheduled to play the first leg of their round of 16 tie with Leipzig on February 16, one day before the ban is lifted.
It's possible that UEFA could force the fixture to be held at a neutral venue. Arsenal's Europa League round of 32 tie with Benfica is likely to be moved to a neutral venue due to Portugal being on the UK's 'red list', enforcing travellers to quarantine for 10 days, while Liverpool's group stage game against Midtjylland was on standby to be played in Dortmund because of similar complications involving travel to Denmark.
UEFA could also opt to reverse the order of the ties, meaning Liverpool would welcome Leipzig to Anfield first and play the return leg in March. However, this would deny the Reds of their home-leg advantage that they had earned through winning group D.
The Liverpool Echo report the club have not heard from UEFA regarding any rearrangements for the game, even though the tie is set to take place in a little over two weeks.
The Reds successfully navigated a group containing Atalanta, Ajax and Midtjylland to reach the knockout stages, while Leipzig knocked out Manchester United on their way to securing a spot in the last 16, joining Paris Saint-Germain as the representatives from Group H.
Liverpool appear to be over their bad run of form after picking up wins at Tottenham and West Ham in the last week, climbing to third in the Premier League table. Leipzig sit second in the Bundesliga, though are seven points behind leaders Bayern Munich.