Tottenham Hotspur’s preparations for the grueling Christmas fixtures have been thrown into chaos after a COVID-19 outbreak in the team’s camp.
Sky Sport reports that up to six players in the squad have tested positive for the virus and backroom staff are also affected.
As per regulations, players are supposed to isolate for 10 days when they text positive for the virus, meaning the six players will miss at least three games within that period.
Spurs face Rennes in their next fixture in the Europa Conference League before a tricky Premier League trip to Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, December 12. They then face Leicester next Thursday before another cracker against Liverpool on December 19.
While six players have been confirmed to have the virus, the numbers could possibly be higher as the club awaits the results of PCR tests.
As per UEFA regulations, Spurs will have to fulfill the Rennes fixture if they have 13 available players, including the goalkeeper, from the 25-man squad they submitted at the start of the competition.
The Rennes game could be postponed if they find themselves with an insufficient number of players, but group games must be concluded by December 31.
As far as the Brighton game is concerned, the Premier League guidebook states that a match should only be postponed if the club has less than 14 players from the squad list available.
Postponement of a game is however done on a case-by-case basis and Spurs can see some league games postponed if they table a request.
On Monday, December 6, the Premier League confirmed 12 positive cases across two rounds of testing, the highest number of positive cases since August 2021 when there were 16 cases.
Tottenham have already seen a Premier League match suspended as the game against Burnley was rescheduled due to bad weather.
In terms of their performances, Tottenham have done little wrong under Antonio Conte.
Despite having a game in hand, the North London club are fifth on the log with 25 points after their latest 3-0 win over Norwich City,
This was preceded by a 2-0 win over Brentford, and Conte’s side continues to keep clean sheets in the league.
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