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Aston Villa vs Liverpool FA Cup tie to go ahead but Tottenham Premier League game in doubt
Aston Villa are set to field a team made up of U23s and U18s against Liverpool; the outbreak among the first-team is 'rampant', Sky Sports News has been told, and it is thought the spread is far more extensive than it was at Fulham or Newcastle earlier this season
Friday 8 January 2021 10:52, UK
Aston Villa have confirmed their FA Cup tie with Liverpool on Friday night will go ahead but Wednesday's Premier League game against Tottenham is in doubt after an outbreak of coronavirus in the first-team squad.
Villa are set to be without their entire first team, along with boss Dean Smith and assistants John Terry, Craig Shakespeare and Richard O'Kelly, as they are isolating.
Despite fears the game could be postponed, Villa confirmed the match would be played on Friday morning on their official Twitter account.
The Premier League side will be relying on their U23s and U18s, who were all tested for the virus on Thursday, to play the tie against the reigning champions of England. Villa's U23s coach Mark Delaney will take charge of the team.
Rob Dorsett explains the sequence of events that led to the closure of Aston Villa's training ground following a coronavirus outbreak among the playing squad and staff
The outbreak in Villa's first-team squad has been described to Sky Sports News as "rampant" and it is thought the spread is much more extensive than it was with Fulham and Newcastle earlier this season.
As a result, Villa cannot use any players or staff from the first-team bubble for tonight's game - including physios, medical staff and the kit man.
Why can Villa play Liverpool but Spurs game is in doubt?
There is a feeling among Premier League clubs that there would be an issue with the integrity of the competition if Villa were forced to field a side of youth-team players against Spurs on Wednesday.
However, the time constraints with FA Cup scheduling mean there is very little flexibility to reschedule games, especially with the fixture list already congested as it is.
Any postponed match would have to take place before the fourth round in just two weeks' time.
No club will automatically have to forfeit an FA Cup game if they are affected by coronavirus, with each case to be assessed by the FA on its individual circumstances, Sky Sports News understands.
The FA has told clubs taking part in the FA Cup third round they should field a team if they have at least 14 fit players, which can include youth-team players, as they seek to avoid a fixture pile-up.
Positive coronavirus tests impacting on weekend fixture list
A rise in positive coronavirus tests across the board has had a huge impact on the footballing schedule, with several games being postponed this weekend and a number of training grounds closed after a spike in cases.
Southampton's FA Cup third-round tie with Shrewsbury will not take place on Saturday as scheduled after the League One club reported a significant number of positive Covid-19 cases.
On Wednesday, the club notified the Football Association several players and staff members had tested positive for coronavirus, in addition to two positive tests last week, one confirmed as midfielder Marc Pugh.
It's the second Shrewsbury match to be affected by coronavirus after the League One fixture with Crewe on January 2 was postponed.
All teams in the FA Cup are being tested 72 hours before their fixtures.
PL records season-high 40 cases over last two rounds of testing
Villa's positive cases come after the Premier League confirmed a season-high 40 positive coronavirus results were recorded following two rounds of testing between December 28 and January 3.
Fulham have had two games postponed due to Covid - against Burnley and Tottenham - while the December 28 match between Everton and Manchester City was called off four hours before kick-off due to a number of positive cases in the City camp.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche confirmed at his media briefing on Thursday that the club has "a couple of cases" after their most recent screening.
Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor has said players will be reminded not to hug their team-mates during goal celebrations following a spate of coronavirus cases across the leagues.
Aston Villa are set to field a team made up of U23s and U18s against Liverpool; the outbreak among the first-team is 'rampant', Sky Sports News has been told, and it is thought the spread is far more extensive than it was at Fulham or Newcastle earlier this season
Friday 8 January 2021 10:52, UK
Aston Villa have confirmed their FA Cup tie with Liverpool on Friday night will go ahead but Wednesday's Premier League game against Tottenham is in doubt after an outbreak of coronavirus in the first-team squad.
Villa are set to be without their entire first team, along with boss Dean Smith and assistants John Terry, Craig Shakespeare and Richard O'Kelly, as they are isolating.
Despite fears the game could be postponed, Villa confirmed the match would be played on Friday morning on their official Twitter account.
The Premier League side will be relying on their U23s and U18s, who were all tested for the virus on Thursday, to play the tie against the reigning champions of England. Villa's U23s coach Mark Delaney will take charge of the team.
Rob Dorsett explains the sequence of events that led to the closure of Aston Villa's training ground following a coronavirus outbreak among the playing squad and staff
The outbreak in Villa's first-team squad has been described to Sky Sports News as "rampant" and it is thought the spread is much more extensive than it was with Fulham and Newcastle earlier this season.
As a result, Villa cannot use any players or staff from the first-team bubble for tonight's game - including physios, medical staff and the kit man.
Why can Villa play Liverpool but Spurs game is in doubt?
There is a feeling among Premier League clubs that there would be an issue with the integrity of the competition if Villa were forced to field a side of youth-team players against Spurs on Wednesday.
However, the time constraints with FA Cup scheduling mean there is very little flexibility to reschedule games, especially with the fixture list already congested as it is.
Any postponed match would have to take place before the fourth round in just two weeks' time.
No club will automatically have to forfeit an FA Cup game if they are affected by coronavirus, with each case to be assessed by the FA on its individual circumstances, Sky Sports News understands.
The FA has told clubs taking part in the FA Cup third round they should field a team if they have at least 14 fit players, which can include youth-team players, as they seek to avoid a fixture pile-up.
Positive coronavirus tests impacting on weekend fixture list
A rise in positive coronavirus tests across the board has had a huge impact on the footballing schedule, with several games being postponed this weekend and a number of training grounds closed after a spike in cases.
Southampton's FA Cup third-round tie with Shrewsbury will not take place on Saturday as scheduled after the League One club reported a significant number of positive Covid-19 cases.
On Wednesday, the club notified the Football Association several players and staff members had tested positive for coronavirus, in addition to two positive tests last week, one confirmed as midfielder Marc Pugh.
It's the second Shrewsbury match to be affected by coronavirus after the League One fixture with Crewe on January 2 was postponed.
All teams in the FA Cup are being tested 72 hours before their fixtures.
PL records season-high 40 cases over last two rounds of testing
Villa's positive cases come after the Premier League confirmed a season-high 40 positive coronavirus results were recorded following two rounds of testing between December 28 and January 3.
Fulham have had two games postponed due to Covid - against Burnley and Tottenham - while the December 28 match between Everton and Manchester City was called off four hours before kick-off due to a number of positive cases in the City camp.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche confirmed at his media briefing on Thursday that the club has "a couple of cases" after their most recent screening.
Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor has said players will be reminded not to hug their team-mates during goal celebrations following a spate of coronavirus cases across the leagues.
