It's official: Shakhtar will host Champions League home matches at Stamford Bridge

Shakhtar has officially decided the venue for its home matches in the Champions League. "Miners" will play matches of the main stage of the tournament at the Stamford Bridge stadium in London. This was reported by the press service of the Donetsk club. The "Orange-Blacks" have not been able to play matches at the Donbas Arena since 2014 after the Russian occupation of Donetsk. Since then, the team has hosted opponents in Kyiv and Lviv, and held European Cup matches at stadiums in Germany, Slovenia and Poland. Stamford Bridge holds more than 40,000 spectators and is the home arena of London's Chelsea. The stands are located very close to the football field, so even from distant sectors, fans have a good view. The compact design also helps to create a louder and richer atmosphere — the sound from the stands is better concentrated inside the stadium. Another advantage of compactness is the feeling of being close to the game. Unlike huge stadiums, where the fan can be far from the field, at Stamford Bridge the match is perceived more intimately and emotionally. Shakhtar have made an official statement regarding the selection of the London Stadium as their temporary arena for Champions League matches. "Holding the home matches of the Champions League at Stamford Bridge is a special opportunity for Shakhtar. We are grateful to the Chelsea football club for the opportunity to host our matches in this special arena. Stamford Bridge is one of the most famous stadiums in world football with an incredible history and atmosphere. We are sure that Shakhtar's matches in London will bring unforgettable emotions to Ukrainian and English fans," - said in the "miners" camp. Chelsea also commented on the agreement with the Donetsk club: "FC Shakhtar have played in various countries across Europe and we look forward to welcoming the team to London during their Champions League campaign this year. We will be working closely with the Shakhtar team in the coming weeks to ensure a safe and comfortable match for the team and its fans." We also remind you that last season the "miners" played home matches of European Cups in Krakow at the Henryk Reiman Stadium. It was there that Shakhtar played their last home European Cup match against Crystal Palace in the first semi-final match of the Conference League.