What happens if a Champions League fixture has to be called off or abandoned?

Manchester United’s Champions League future is hanging in the balance after the Premier League side took only three points from their opening four group stage fixtures. A fourth defeat in five matches away to Galatasaray on Wednesday would see them eliminated from the competition, although there has been considerable doubt as to whether the match at Rams Park would go ahead due to torrential rain in Istanbul.

Will Galatasaray - Manchester United go ahead?

Clips from the Red Devils’ UEFA Youth League game against the same opponents earlier on Wednesday showed the ball getting caught up in standing water at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium in the Turkish capital. With overhead conditions barely improving in the hours that followed, there have been fears for the Group A clash in the full competition.

In the run-up to kick off, UEFA indicated that the match would start at 8:45 p.m. local time (12:45 p.m. ET) as expected, although more rain has been forecast. So what happens if the match cannot ultimately start, or perhaps has to be abandoned after getting underway?

When are rescheduled Champions League games played?

Article 27.01 of UEFA’s regulations, which pertains to the rescheduling of matches, states “If a match cannot start or cannot be played in full, the full or remaining match time is, as a rule, played on the next day, without prejudice to any possible disciplinary measures. For that purpose, the home clubs must conclude all the necessary agreements to ensure that the required facilities are available and can be operated.”

In short, the match, or part of the match, will be played tomorrow (Thursday 30 November) if it can’t be completed today.

Let’s imagine, however, the rain continues to pour and the state of the pitch worsens even further. “If the match cannot be rescheduled the next day, the UEFA administration fixes a new date, during a reserve date or other date. The rescheduling may entail exceptions to the regular match calendar,” reads Article 27.02.

Both teams have named their starting line-ups for the game, which looks all set to go ahead as planned, although it might be worth keeping an eye out for umbrellas at the front of the stands...