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It is increasingly likely that Newcastle’s trip to Aston Villa on Friday will be postponed due to a Covid-19 outbreak at the club.
Newcastle are in dialogue with the Premier League about the possible postponement of the match after their team was told to stay away from their training ground following a coronavirus outbreak.
Over the weekend, it emerged that three people within the first-team bubble had tested positive for Covid-19, and after a new round of testing on Sunday, additional players also tested positive.
Newcastle declined to reveal the exact number or identity of those affected.
The club’s training ground has been closed since the weekend and the players have not trained since last Thursday, the day they traveled to London for their match with Crystal Palace.
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Highlights from Newcastle’s victory over Crystal Palace in the Premier League
The first team squad have been told to stay home until further notice. Another round of testing will take place on Wednesday.
Sky Sports News He has been told that the Premier League now deals with each situation on a case-by-case basis, following the previous guidance on the pandemic that said a team would be forced to play unless they didn’t have 14 players available.
At this stage, Newcastle has yet to officially appeal for the match to be postponed, but high-level talks are underway.
Newcastle are concerned about the team’s lack of preparation time and believe that this will put them at a disadvantage.
They are also concerned about traveling to a different part of the country and other possible infections.
If postponed, Aston Villa against Newcastle would be the first Premier League match to be as a result of the pandemic that followed Project Restart.
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Steve Bruce says allowing some fans to return is a ‘small gesture’, but he’s not sure why bigger stadiums can’t host more socially distanced fans.
Following Friday night’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, Newcastle manager Steve Bruce said: “It’s a concern and difficult to handle. We are doing everything we can to make sure we stay as long as possible. insurance possible. “
“Of course my concern is not only the well-being of the players, which is of vital importance, but also that of my staff. We will do our best, but it is difficult at the moment.”
Coronavirus levels: Newcastle cannot welcome fans
Newcastle is one of 10 clubs that are at level 3 of the government’s new coronavirus restrictions, which will go into effect on December 2 and deny fans the opportunity to attend matches at St James’ Park.
Bruce says the return of the fans is a “step in the right direction,” but questioned why larger stadiums cannot host a greater number of socially estranged fans.
“I can understand 4,000 fans [returning] if there is an 8,000 seat stadium, but what I can’t digest at the moment is why is it only 4,000 or 2,000 when we have the capacity to comfortably seat somewhere in the region of 15,000 to 20,000 people, “he said.
“It is a step in the right direction and a small gesture. For the smaller clubs, 4,000 or 2,000 is a welcome relief because they live on it.”
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