Lampard expecting Covid disruption for Chelsea with Man City and FA Cup games in doubt

Frank Lampard says Chelsea will discover in the next few days whether their upcoming match against Manchester City will be postponed, but insists safety must take priority despite the potential fixture backlog it may cause.

City were forced to postpone their Premier League trip to Everton on Monday after an outbreak of Covid-19 among their squad.

In a statement the club said the security of their bio-secure bubble had been compromised and there was a risk the virus could spread further among the squad and staff.

They are scheduled to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday but that match is now in serious doubt, with the club’s training ground currently closed as a precaution.

England is currently dealing with a surge in coronavirus cases sparked by a new variant which is spreading more rapidly, particularly in the south east of the country.

That has prompted the UK government to impose harsher ‘Tier 4’ restrictions on large areas of England, including London, which bans household mixing and forces non-essential shops to close.

It also means football matches in the capital must once again be played behind closed doors after a brief easing of restrictions allowed up to 2,000 supporters in at the start of December.

Postponing Sunday’s match would undoubtedly cause a fixture headache for Chelsea as they are already having to deal with a congested schedule, but Lampard says health has to come first as the world continues to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We’ll see what the position is," he told reporters. "It’s a key time and a rough time, and we felt that coming, with Tier 4 coming in and the surge in Covid. From our point of view I will find out more over the next day or two to make sure it has to be safe for the two teams. If not the [Man City] game won’t go ahead.”

Chelsea’s next game, against Morecambe in the FA Cup on January 10, is also in doubt after the League Two side were forced to cancel their next two matches following a coronavirus outbreak at the club.

Lampard, again, was philosophical about the situation, accepting it was out of his hands.

"If we don’t play these games, we’ll keep working," he added. “I’m not surprised because the way Covid is in the UK is difficult for everybody and football isn’t very different. So we’ll just have to see what the Premier League come up with but safety will be paramount."