Two members of the group Atletico Madrid set out on a trip to Portugal for the Champions League quarter-final tests on Sunday positive for the coronavirus.
It is the first pandemic-related backlog among clubs participating in the final stage of the European top club competition.
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The final eight will begin on Wednesday in Lisbon amid tight health safety protocols to prevent a coronavirus outbreak from escaping the competition. The semi-finals and August 23 will also be played in Lisbon.
No other clubs involved in the quarter-finals have reported positive tests among their players recently. The Spanish club did not name the people who tested positive and did not say if a player was involved.
It said it immediately informed health authorities in Spain and Portugal of the positive results, as did UEFA and other football bodies in both countries.
It said in a statement that the whole group set up to go to Lisbon will be retested before the team can travel, and that the team’s schedule will be changed to allow for the new tests. Atletico are set for Thursday in the last eight against RB Leipzig.
The quarterfinals start on Wednesday with Atalanta against Paris Saint-Germain. The other series one-game will involve Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich on Friday and Manchester City vs. Lyon on Saturday.
The matches will take place at two stadiums in Lisbon. Earlier this week, Atletico had to cancel a friendship from their women’s team after a positive test within the group.
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