Spurs, Villa match postponed

LONDON. — Aston Villa’s English Premier League football clash with Tottenham has been postponed as Villa continue to deal with a coronavirus outbreak — and Spurs will instead play Fulham tomorrow night.

Villa were forced to close their Bodymoor Heath training ground last week after a “significant” outbreak which saw 10 first-team players forced to self-isolate.

Zimbabwe’s international midfielder Marvelous Nakamba plays for Aston Villa and it could not be established yesterday if he is among the players who have tested positive for the deadly virus. Dean Smith’s team had to field their youth team for their FA Cup tie with Liverpool, which they lost 4-1, and with the situation showing no signs of improvement, Wednesday’s match with Spurs has been called off.

The English Premier League confirmed Spurs will instead play Fulham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the same time tomorrow. The match was originally postponed on December 30. As a result of the re-arrangement, Fulham’s match against Chelsea moves from Friday to 7.30pm on Saturday while Villa vs Everton moves from Saturday to midday on Sunday.A Premier League statement read: “Following Aston Villa’s request to rearrange the fixture, and due to the number of players and staff who have either tested positive for Covid-19 or have been placed in isolation by the club, the Premier League had no other option than to reschedule the game.”

The Premier League added it had enhanced its Covid-19 protocols with immediate effect this week, in addition to reimplementing a twice-weekly testing programme.

A Spurs club statement said: “Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur sends their best wishes to Aston Villa for a safe and speedy recovery to all those who are affected.” Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho had challenged the Premier League to “show leadership” and not punish Tottenham with further postponements over coronavirus concerns.

This week’s English Premiership Fixtures Today: Sheffield United v Newcastle United (8pm); Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton (10:15pm); Burnley v Manchester United (10:15pm).

Tomorrow: Manchester City v Brighton & Hove Albion (8pm); Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham (10:15pm).

Thursday: Arsenal v Crystal Palace (10pm). — Sky Sports.