Puskas Arena: Where is it & why will Man City be playing there?

The Champions League last 16 second legs are upon us, but while most fans are settling down to watch their teams in their normal stadiums, Man City and Borussia Monchengladbach supporters are in for something a little different.

The Citizens were gearing up for a trip to Germany in the second leg, but instead, they now have to ready themselves for a trip to the Puskas Arena in Hungary.

Here's a closer look at the new venue,

Why has Man City - Borussia Monchengladbach been moved?

Obviously, the world's a little turned upside down right now.

UEFA revealed that German officials stated that Man City would not be allowed to enter the country because of new COVID-19 restrictions. The UK is currently in lockdown again after another spike in cases, and it was deemed too dangerous to let the City players in.

The onus was on Gladbach to find a neutral ground to play the game, given their failure to host the fixture would have resulted in a 3-0 loss, and it was eventually decided that the Puskas Arena was the right spot.

Where is the Puskas Arena?

The Puskas Arena is the largest stadium in Hungary's capital city, Budapest.

It's a relatively new stadium, with construction beginning in 2016 and only ending towards the end of 2019, and it is currently set to host three group stage games and one round of 16 tie at the European Championships in the summer.

Who plays at the Puskas Arena?

No clubs play their domestic football at the Puskas Arena. Instead, it is mainly saved for the Hungarian national team, just like Wembley is for England.

The first game at the stadium was held in November 2019, when Uruguay visited and picked up a 2-1 win, and four international games were held at the Puskas Arena in 2020.

The finals of cup competitions are also held at the stadium, with Budapest Honved's 2-1 win over Mezokovesdi in the Magyar Kupa final in June 2020 the first club game to be held there.

What is the capacity of the Puskas Arena?

The Puskas Arena is held in high regard because it is a modern stadium with a pretty hefty capacity.

67,215 fans can fit themselves in the ground, with the stadium's record attendance currently sitting at 65,114.

Why is it named the Puskas Arena?

The Puskas Arena is built in place of the former Ferenc Puskas Stadium which, as you might have guessed, was named after Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas.

Seen by most as one of the greatest players of all time, Puskas was a legend in Hungary who took his talents over to Real Madrid, establishing himself as superstar between 1958 and 1966.

Because of his impact on the game of football, FIFA chose to introduce the Puskas Award, given to the best goal scored in the entire world every calendar year.

Have any big games been played there?

Man City's trip won't be the first European game to be held at the Puskas Arena.

In September 2020, Bayern Munich and Sevilla flew out to Budapest to battle it out in the Super Cup final, which was eventually won by the German side after extra time.

Ferencvaros also played two of their Champions League games there in the 2020/21 group stage, welcoming both Barcelona and Juventus to the Puskas Arena and coming out on the losing end both times. And Liverpool played their first leg tie with RB Leipzig there recently too.

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