Real Madrid will face Legia Warsaw on Matchday 4 of the 2016-17 Champions League, and will do so in front of an empty stadium in Poland.
Clashes between Legia supporters and security forces during the club’s opening group stage game against Borussia Dortmund back in September led to the next outing being played behind closed doors – with an appeal thrown out by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
That means only a select group of privileged souls will be inside the ground in midweek, with around 600 players, invited guests from UEFA and the two federations involved, plus the global media set to make it through the gates.
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An absence of supporters rules out the possibility of trouble during the game, but the travelling party from Spain is still wary of the presence of Legia ultras around the camp.
Warsaw fans clashed with local police ahead of the reverse fixture a fortnight ago in the Spanish capital, and Real is eager to avoid putting itself in the firing line.
All of the necessary precautions are being taken to ensure that the coaching and playing staff are not disrupted during their stay on Polish soil – with it important to keep potentially vocal fans away from the team hotel while the squad is trying to rest.
Real has also sought guarantees from the relevant security forces that the club's journey to the stadium on the evening of the game will receive the required level of escort and protection.
These measures are being put in place to protect the best interests of the club and its employees, but the La Liga side’s time in Warsaw has passed without incident so far - as witnessed by Goal journalists in the city - with the players able to stop and sign autographs upon their arrival with only a few jeers ringing in their ears.
El Real, ya en Varsovia. Mucha policía. Cero incidentes. Los únicos encapuchados aquí, x el frío y lluvia. Zidane y Kroos firmaron aun así pic.twitter.com/8xWTA81eOO
— Alberto Piñero (@pineroalberto) November 1, 2016
Wednesday’s game will be the third to be played behind closed doors in Real’s history – with Los Blancos having previously faced Napoli in September 1987 and Roma in December 2004 in similar circumstances.
Real emerged victorious on both of those occasions – 2-0 on home soil and 3-0 in the Italian capital – so will be looking to make it a hat trick of successes when the club takes to the field in Warsaw.