© David Ramos/Getty ImagesAndrés Iniesta and Victor Valdes in training for Barcelona's Champions League final against Manchester United.
The Spanish champions were due to head to England on Thursday for this weekend's showpiece at Wembley against Manchester United but have opted to arrive two days ahead of schedule. The club said: "To avoid possible disruption due to ash from the volcano Grimsvotn, the Barça first team will travel to London today at 22:00hrs."
The Barça spokesman, Toni Freixa, will appear at a press conference at Camp Nou at 5pm local time to provide further information to supporters. The eruption of Grimsvotn has led to airlines cancelling flights to and from Irish and Scottish airports.
The Barcelona coach, Pep Guardiola, said on Monday that his team were prepared to alter their travel plans to reach the European final if obliged to do so. Guardiola spoke of his concerns over disruption that could be caused to the fans - many of whom will travel on the day of the match - and promised the Catalan club would take every precaution.
"I hope the volcano sleeps a little bit longer," he said. "The important thing is that they tell us; whatever they say we'll do with the maximum anticipation possible.
Guardiola said Uefa will go ahead with the final even if the fans are unable to travel. "The final will be on Saturday," he said. "Uefa won't change the date of the final. We will play even if the stadium is half empty, but that would be sad. Let's hope that the volcano doesn't disrupt travel plans of all the fans who want to go."
Barça were forced to travel by bus to Milan to face Internazionale in the semi-final of last year's competition after flights were cancelled due to the ash cloud which covered much of western Europe. José Mourinho's Inter won 3-1 at San Siro and went through 3-2 on aggregate.
Source: Press Association
Reader Comments
to our Newsletter