The Europa League game between Arsenal and FC Vorskla in Kiev will go ahead as scheduled, UEFA have confirmed to ESPN FC, after the Ukrainian team had expressed doubts over whether it could host the match.
The match will be played at Kiev’s Olympic Stadium after it was moved from Poltava because of security concerns.
An Arsenal club source also said both teams attended the official UEFA organisational meeting for the match on Thursday morning.
Vorskla vice-president Oleh Lysak had expressed doubts on Wednesday about whether the Olympic Stadium would be able to host the game on such short notice.
UEFA moved the game from Poltava to Kiev on Tuesday after Ukraine imposed martial law in certain regions amid escalating tensions with Russia. The Ukrainian navy said six of its sailors were wounded when Russian coastguards opened fire on three ships in waters off Crimea and then seized them late on Sunday.
Arsenal coach Unai Emery has brought a youthful squad for the game, with his side having already clinched a spot in the knockout phase, and said after arriving in Kiev on Wednesday that the team would not have any problem playing despite the altered travel plans.
“First of all, we need to respect UEFA’s decision because it’s not easy for Vorskla,” he said. “It’s not an easy decision for UEFA to make either.
“It doesn’t change a lot for us to play here, only that we had to move to Kiev like the journalists and the Arsenal supporters who travelled. They travelled to Poltava and then had to come here for tomorrow. Then [during the] 90 minutes, it’s not a very big change.”