Covid cases drop in Premier League players

Earlier on, there were 72 positive cases in the latest round of testing between January 3 and 9, an improvement on the 94 recorded in the previous numbers.

"The Premier League can today confirm that between Monday 3 January and Sunday 9 January, 12,973 Covid-19 tests were administered on players and club staff. Of these, there were 72 new positive cases," a Premier League statement read on Monday.

"This is the second week in a row the number of positive results has decreased."

Amid the surge in the Omicron strain across Britain, numerous clubs had games postponed due to a combination of rising Covid cases and mounting injuries.

Leicester's trip to Everton on Tuesday has been postponed for a second time after the club successfully applied to the Premier League to have the match rescheduled.

The match was originally scheduled for December 19, only for it to be postponed when Leicester City reported several Covid cases.

Despite winning Watford 4-1 in their FA Cup third round tie on Saturday, Leicester said Covid problems, injuries and the Africa Cup of Nations had left them short of players.

The Premier League assesses applications for postponements on a case-by-case basis including the ability of a club to field a team and potential impact of the Covid-19 outbreak at the club.

Coursey Story: AFP