Aston Villa have experienced a “significant” coronavirus outbreak at the club on the eve of their FA Cup third-round tie with Liverpool. The Premier League side said a large number of first-team players and staff are in isolation after returning positive tests on Monday.
The club’s training ground was closed on Thursday after a second round of testing produced more positive results. Dean Smith’s side are scheduled to face Liverpool at 19:45 GMT on Friday night. “Discussions are ongoing between medical representatives of the club, the Football Association and the Premier League,” Villa said in a statement.
Southampton’s FA Cup third-round game against Shrewsbury on Sunday was called off earlier on Thursday after a significant number of Shrews players and staff tested positive for coronavirus. Wayne Rooney and Derby’s first-team squad will miss their FA Cup tie at Chorley on Saturday following a Covid-19 outbreak which closed their training ground on Monday.
The Rams’ team for the game at Victory Park will be made up of under-23 and under-18 players.
