The Premier League is set to return with Arsenal set to travel to Manchester City in 15 days, but any players testing positive for Coronavirus this week may well miss out.
Any such players who come up with a positive test for Coronavirus will have to be quarantined from the rest of the squad for 14 days, which would mean that they would be highly unlikely to be selected for the first round of fixtures.
Football around the globe has been either suspended or cancelled following the outbreak of Covid-19, with disruption caused to all walks of life.
Arsenal were scheduled to take on Manchester City in early March, but decided to call off the match following the news that Nottingham Forest and Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis, with our club having come up against the Greek giants shortly before.
Mikel Arteta was confirmed as having contracted the virus in the following days, which was shortly followed by English football being forced to suspend.
The Premier League and health experts have since been in regular talks over a possible return, and they have so far been given the go-ahead to get back into action, with bi-weekly tests scheduled for each team and their staff.
The most recent testing came back with zero new positive results, and clubs will be hopeful that the trend continues.
Those having contracted the virus have had to quarantine themselves, and may well struggle to prove their fitness to their respective coaches ahead of the first round of fixtures, but any further positive results will surely result in missing out on fixtures.
Arsenal currently sit ninth in the Premier League table, and could do without any further obstacles as they look to climb the table to qualify for next season’s Champions League or Europa League.
Could the division’s scheduled return still be put back? Who would be the biggest loss ahead of the Man City match?
Patrick
Austrian football resumes tonight, Portuguese tomorrow.
15 days to go… I really can’t see the return being put back… agree with it or not, it’s happening….