Chelsea trio Romelu Lukaku, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner ALL test positive for Covid-19 – as does injured Ben Chilwell – ahead of draw with Everton… as Kai Havertz also misses fixture as he awaits his results
- Chelsea were hit by more positive Covid-19 tests ahead of taking on Everton
- The Blues already had Mateo Kovacic isolating after he tested positive last week
- Now four more players have tested positive after Wednesday’s training session
- Chelsea’s Premier League match with Everton on Thursday still went ahead
- The news comes as other Premier League fixtures were called off due to Covid
Four Chelsea players tested positive for coronavirus ahead of their draw against Everton on Thursday night.
Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi were all left off the teamsheet to play the Toffees on Thursday night after returning positive tests.
The west Londoners already have Mateo Kovacic in isolation after he tested positive for Covid last week – with Thomas Tuchel’s plans serious disrupted for the Stamford Bridge clash.
Ben Chilwell, who is currently out with a knee injury, has also returned a positive test.
Kai Havertz meanwhile has been left out of the squad, as he awaits test results.
It comes amid news of match postponements and players missing games due to positive tests across the rest of the league.
Four more Chelsea players are confirmed to have tested positive for coronavirus
Romelu Lukaku (right) and Timo Werner are among those to have tested positive for Covid-19
Chelsea already have midfielder Mateo Kovacic isolating after testing positive last week
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel told BT Sport ahead of the game: ‘Except for Kai Havertz, we have positive cases and Kai feels unwell and are waiting on test results.
‘We did some extra tests at 12pm today and who arrives at lunch, from there we had to pick the team. The situation started yesterday. The results are the results and we still have a strong squad that should still be able to compete. We focus on the guys that are there.
Ben Chilwell, who is recovering from a knee injury, also tested positive for Covid-19
‘I did not lose my concentration, at some point it is getting difficult and with the overuse of players.’
Chelsea’s women’s team have also been hit with a coronavirus crisis this week, with Ann-Katrin Berger and Drew Spence testing positive before their Champions League tie with Wolfsburg.
Football is bracing itself for more than a dozen requests for matches to be postponed this weekend amid the Omicron surge.
The Premier League in one statement already confirmed games this weekend between Southampton and Brentford, Watford and Crystal Palace, West Ham and Norwich, and Everton and Leicester have been postponed.
Manchester United had just seven players available to face Brighton on Saturday, forcing the League to postpone the game earlier today.
Liverpool also reported suspected positive cases with Fabinho, Virgil van Dijk and Curtis Jones all unavailable for their clash with Newcastle.
Brentford’s clash at home Manchester United on Tuesday was postponed until the New Year after the visitors were forced to close down their training centre in the build-up to the match.
Meanwhile, Burnley’s match against Watford on Wednesday was called off two hours before kick-off after the Hornets announced an outbreak in their team.
Callum Hudson-Odoi missed the game with Everton after testing positive for coronavirus
Leicester’s top-flight clash with Tottenham, and Saturday matches between Sheffield Wednesday’s and Accrington and Crawley’s encounter with Oldham Athletic have all been called off on Thursday, with officials expecting many more to follow suit.
The Foxes applied to the Premier League once again on Thursday morning to postpone the match with Spurs, after both clubs saw appeals rejected earlier this week. The Foxes have also closed their training ground to deal with the outbreak.
The Premier League is holding daily briefings, while the League Managers’ Association is in regular dialogue with the top flight and EFL as managers seek clarity on a rapidly worsening situation.
The Omicron variant has led to a large increase of cases in the UK, with Wednesday seeing 78,610 people testing positive – the highest daily number since the pandemic began.