Aston Villa released a statement on Thursday afternoon explaining that Bodymoor Heath training ground would be closed following a large virus outbreak.
While the BBC has reported that tonight’s FA Cup clash at home to Liverpool could be in doubt, the Midlands club issued a statement saying that they are working with the FA to try and ensure that the match goes ahead as scheduled. Meanwhile, The Guardian claimed that Villa will utilise youth team players in order to fulfil the fixture tonight.
Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports News reported how the players came into training on Monday morning and were tested for Covid before undergoing a typical session. Results returned on Tuesday and showed a number of positive cases, but the players had already trained together on two occasions without knowing they were infected.
Villa had another round of testing for the first team squad, sending the players home and instructing them to isolate, but the results from the second test showed further positive cases and led to the training ground being closed.
Dorsett added that Aston Villa are speaking with the Premier League about the Tottenham meeting in five days’ time, in addition to the discussions with the FA over tonight’s cup clash.
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With Villa seemingly left scrambling around to try and field a team of youth players in order to fulfil the FA Cup fixture, it is a nightmare situation for Dean Smith.
Having reached one domestic cup final last year, Villa’s chances of repeating the feat in 2021 appear to have taken a massive setback with the disruption ahead of Liverpool’s visit to the Midlands.
