Chelsea's Sarri unhappy with sorry state of Kiev pitch

Chelsea, who won last week's first leg in London 3-0, trained at the stadium on Wednesday.

Chelsea's Sarri unhappy with sorry state of Kiev pitch

(Reuters)

"The pitch is not good and I think that it's really dangerous to play any football here. It's really very dangerous for injuries," Sarri told reporters.

"I don't know the reason, probably winter, because I played here two years ago and the pitch was wonderful (but it is now) very, very dangerous."

The NSC Olympic Stadium hosted last season's Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool, which the Spanish side won 3-1.

Sarri, who was in charge of Napoli when the Italian side beat Dynamo 2-1 at the stadium during the 2016-17 Champions League group stages, also criticised UEFA for not paying more attention to player welfare.

"I don't understand why UEFA gives so much attention to everything like the players' list... and then we have to play in such a bad pitch," the 60-year-old said. "It's a problem for us but also for our opponents."

Striker Gonzalo Higuain has not travelled due to illness while teenage winger Callum Hudson-Odoi is likely to start, the manager added.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru)


Share

1 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Watch now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world