Leicester vs Tottenham, previously scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed due to an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak among the Foxes.
[ MORE: Premier League injury and COVID-19 report ]
Antonio Conte’s Spurs sit four points off the top four but have played between 2-3 games less than all of the teams above it on the Premier League table.
Tottenham hasn’t played since a 3-0 win over Norwich City on Dec. 5.
This is Leicester’s first COVID-19 postponement of the season, as the ninth-place Foxes sit three points behind Spurs.
From TottenhamHotspur.com:The Premier League Board has postponed Leicester City FC’s match against Tottenham Hotspur tonight due to an increase in positive COVID-19 cases within Leicester’s squad today.
In light of the new information, Leicester applied this morning for the fixture to be called off due to an ongoing outbreak within the squad, which has resulted in more players and staff testing positive for COVID-19 today. This has left the club with an insufficient number of players available to fulfil the game.
Following consultation with the Premier League and UK Health Security Agency, the club’s training ground was closed this morning to help contain the outbreak.
The Premier League understands this decision will disappoint and frustrate fans who were due to attend this evening’s game and apologises for the inconvenience and disruption caused at such short notice.
The Board assesses applications to postpone matches on a case-by-case basis, based on existing rules and COVID-19 postponement guidance issued to all clubs. It will assess a number of factors, including the ability of a club to field a team; the status, severity and potential impact of the COVID-19 outbreak at the club; and the ability of the players to safely prepare for and play the match. The Board must also consider the wider risks to the opposition and other people the club may come into contact with.
With the health and wellbeing of all players and staff the priority, and In light of the recent rise in COVID-19 cases across the country, the Premier League has reintroduced Emergency Measures. These include protocols such as more frequent testing, wearing face coverings while indoors, observing social distancing and limiting treatment time.NOTE: Everything below the jump regards the previous Premier League preview of the now-postponed match between Brentford and Manchester United.
Stay tuned here for news on the rescheduling of Leicester vs Tottenham.
Leicester vs Tottenham: Spurs are set to play their first game in 11 days when they visit the similarly COVID-19-stricken Foxes at the King Power Stadium on Thursday (Watch live at 2:30 pm ET, on Peacock Premium).
LEICESTER vs TOTTENHAM STREAM LIVE
Tottenham had both games against Rennes (Europa Conference League, Dec. 9) and Brighton (Premier League, Dec. 12) cancelled and postponed, respectively, following a COVID-19 outbreak which left them with just 10 fit players. A number of regular starters, including Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and Emerson Royal, will still be unavailable for Thursday’s game, but manager Antonio Conte has indicated Tottenham will have enough players to fulfill the fixture.
Things haven’t been much, if any, better at Leicester, where seen first-team players have tested positive in recent days. The Foxes were, however, without six of the seven for the 4-0 victory over Newcastle over the weekend.
[ MORE: How to watch PL in the USA ]
Here is everything you need to know ahead of Leicester vs Tottenham this Thursday with team news, odds, stream link and more.
Leicester team news, injuries, lineup (INJURY REPORT)
QUESTIONABLE: Daniel Amartey (COVID-19), Jannik Vestergard (COVID-19), Ademola Lookman (COVID-19), Ayoze Perez (COVID-19), Kelechi Iheanacho (COVID-19), Filip Benkovic (COVID-19, Hamza Choudhury Illness (COVID-19) | OUT: Wesley Fofana (broken leg - MORE), James Justin (knee), Ricardo Pereira (thigh), Jonny Evans (hamstring)
Tottenham team news, injuries, lineup
QUESTIONABLE: Giovani Lo Celso (knee), Son Heung-min (COVID-19), Lucas Moura (COVID-19), Bryan Gil (COVID-19), Emerson Royal (COVID-19), Oliver Skipp (COVID-19) | OUT: Cristian Romero (thigh), Sergio Reguilon (knock)
Odds and ends (full odds provided by our partner, PointsBet)
Leicester (+110) | Tottenham (+220) | Draw (+260)
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Prediction
There will be rust, unfamiliarity and problem some minor fitness issues for any number of the Tottenham players who are able to play on Thursday, making an already difficult away day even trickier. Extenuating circumstances favor the home side. Leicester 2-0 Tottenham.
How to watch Leicester vs Tottenham, stream live and start time
Kickoff: 2:30 pm ET Thursday
Online: Stream via Peacock Premium