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Real Madrid considers playing matches at reserve team stadium

Spanish LaLiga football club Real Madrid is considering using the Estadio Alfredo di Stéfano, the home of its reserve team, for first-team matches when the season resumes to allow construction work to proceed at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.

LaLiga has been suspended for over a month due to COVID-19 and it is highly likely that matches will be played behind closed doors when the season eventually resumes.

According to multiple reports, Real Madrid would be open to playing matches at the Estadio Alfredo di Stéfano, which has a capacity of 6,000 and forms part of the club’s training complex.

Real Madrid recommenced work on the redevelopment of the Bernabéu last week, marking the occasion with the release of a new video showcasing the project. Work had been suspended at the end of March due to COVID-19, with the Bernabéu having been utilised as a hub for the supply and distribution of strategic medical supplies as part of the effort to combat the virus.

The redevelopment work is taking place alongside the normal sporting calendar and the stadium’s other activities, but with work having started last summer, the delivery date is reported to have slipped to October 2022.

The redevelopment work to date has focused on the Bernabéu’s four columns, the commercial and shopping area, roof and private boxes. Moving first-team matches to the Estadio Alfredo di Stéfano would potentially speed up the redevelopment project at the 81,000-seat Bernabéu.

Real Madrid is scheduled to stage six more home matches in the league and could potentially have more UEFA Champions League fixtures if it can overturn a first-leg deficit in its round of 16 tie against Manchester City.

The Estadio Alfredo di Stéfano would need to be fitted with the necessary television cameras and VAR technology if it is to host LaLiga matches. The stadium opened in 2006 and is named after club legend Alfredo di Stéfano.

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