Coady: It’s a scary situation but we have a job to do

WOLVES captain Conor Coady says it is ‘scary’ to be playing football during the coronavirus crisis. Coady and his team-mates travelled to Athens reluctantly yesterday, after UEFA rejected Wolves’ request to postpone the Europa League last-16 fixture. Wolves made the appeal when they learned that Evangelos Marinakis, who owns opponents Olympiacos, tested positive for coronavirus. The Greek government had already ruled that the first-leg tie should take place behind closed doors. But Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo believes football should be paused while governments take steps to try to control the spread of the disease. Some Wolves supporters have still made the trip even though they will not be allowed into the ground, and Coady said: ‘We all know that this virus is scary, but the most important thing is that the fans are safe. ‘We’ve seen the game postponed between Manchester City and Arsenal, but as players there’s not a lot we can do. All we can do is train, prepare and listen to our manager. We are professional footballers — we’ve got to prepare to play a game which is a really important game for this club. We’re ready to go and compete as much as we can.’ With UEFA’s agreement, Wolves cancelled their pre-match media duties, and neither Nuno nor his players will speak to the media after the game, on the advice of the club’s medical staff. The squad trained at their Compton base, rather than at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, and they are not expected to leave their hotel between their arrival and departure for the game. Wolves officials have given players individual bottles of hand sanitiser, with face masks available if required. Olympiacos players and staff were tested for coronavirus after the Marinakis diagnosis. The results were negative. Nuno said: ‘It doesn’t make sense to play behind closed doors, but it’s reality and we have to prepare ourselves. We have all the insurance in terms of health situations. It’s just the fact that we love to compete in a normal situation.’ Coady echoed his manager’s misgivings. ‘The disappointing thing is that there are no supporters in the ground. Football is nothing without supporters. That’s what we play for, to entertain supporters.’ Olympiacos boss Pedro Martins said: ‘This club has taken all measures necessary and we have all been tested and the results have been negative.’

WOLVES (probable, 3-4-3): Rui Patricio; Boly, Coady, Saiss; Doherty, Moutinho, Neves, Vinagre; Traore, Jimenez, Jota.