Liverpool's home clash with Leeds United and Watford's trip to Wolves on Boxing Day have both been postponed due to COVID-19 outbreaks.

Injury-hit Leeds managed to field a weakened team in a 4-1 defeat against Arsenal last Saturday, but five positive coronavirus cases within the first-team squad and staff have left Marcelo Biela's side unable to fulfil Sunday's game.

Leeds have subsequently closed their Thorp Arch training ground, with the positive cases all asymptomatic currently, while Watford continue to have insufficient numbers to visit Wolves on the same day.

Claudio Ranieri's side have already had to postpone games against Burnley and Crystal Palace due to an outbreak of the virus at the club, but Watford are expected to fulfil their fixture against West Ham on Tuesday with numerous players out of isolation.

"The board today was able to make its decisions in advance of Boxing Day to give clarity to clubs and their supporters," the Premier League's statement said on Thursday. "We apologise for the inconvenience and disruption caused to those fans' festive plans.

"The league is aware that the decision to postpone these two matches will disappoint supporters and understands their frustrations at a special time of year when fans look forward to attending and watching football games.

"The league aims to provide as much clarity as possible, but unfortunately postponements sometimes have to be made at short notice, as safety is the priority. The league will endeavour to keep supporters updated if matches become at risk on a matchday."

The postponement of the two early kick-offs on Boxing Day follows the calling off of six of the 10 scheduled Premier League games last weekend, though Wolves, Liverpool and Leeds were all in action.

An emergency meeting between top-flight clubs followed on Monday to discuss the challenges brought on by COVID-19, but the league confirmed scheduled fixtures would continue across the festive period.

The league said applications for postponements are being considered on a case-by-case basis with emergency measures reintroduced in light of the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in England.

"The board 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 statement continued.

"The board must also consider the wider risks to the opposition and other people the club representatives may come into contact with.

"The health and wellbeing of all concerned remains our priority and the League will continue to monitor and reflect public health guidance, always proceeding with caution."

In the United Kingdom, 106,122 people tested positive for the virus on Wednesday, taking the seven-day rolling figure to 643,219.

Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino has revealed he once broke a Guinness World Record after achieving the most high-fives in one minute.

As an 18-year-old, the Japan international conducted a total of 187 during his time at Cerezo Osaka, who had organised an event for the local community on January 14, 2014.

The unique record has since been surpassed by American Kaiser Permanente San Diego, who registered a total of 290 on April 21, 2016.

Nevertheless, it remains an achievement that Minamino remembers fondly.

"About 200 people queued up in a line in a shopping centre and, as I was the youngest player in the team, I was chosen to join them," he told Liverpool's official website.

"I had to run down the line and high-five them and I managed to make the Guinness World Records.

"It is a very good memory, and we still talk about it. Maybe, it would be good fun if I celebrated a goal for Liverpool like this!"

Minamino, who spent last season on loan at Southampton, had reason to celebrate on Wednesday as he helped Jurgen Klopp's side reach the EFL Cup semi-finals.

The forward netted a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser to salvage a 3-3 draw with Leicester City, before the Reds prevailed 5-4 on penalties at Anfield despite him missing his spot-kick.

The 26-year-old has been an ever-present for Liverpool in this season’s competition, and has embraced the chances to make valuable contributions to his side's cause.

"I have been given more game time in the Carabao Cup, which is a great opportunity for me," he added.

"It is a chance to show what I can do and to prove myself, and I am happy that I could contribute to the team's wins. I hope I can continue to do more of the same.

"I would like to contribute to this club as much as possible. That is the best thing I can do."

Manchester United are in the early stages of planning an Old Trafford expansion, while they will play their first game with safe standing against Wolves next month.

United have played at their home ground for 111 years, with the venue already capable of hosting 73,000 fans on a matchday.

Initial meetings have taken place to further modernise the home of the Red Devils, but United's chief operating officer (COO) Colette Roche insisted the plans are still in their infancy.

"These meetings have produced exciting potential ideas, although it's important to note that we're still at an early stage and it's premature to talk about timetables," Roche told a meeting of United's fans' forum.

While Roche assured no decision as to budget nor size of expansion had been made, she added the final plan would be "based on analysis and on consultation, with no preconceived ideas or limits".

Roche also promised to involve the newly created Fans' Advisory Board (FAB), which is due to meet for the first time in the new year to ensure board-level dialogue between the club and fans in the wake of the failed European Super League proposal.

The COO labelled the creation of the FAB as a "historic step that will establish a new model for fan engagement in English football and, ultimately, improve the club’s decision-making".

Within the same fans' forum meeting, United confirmed 1,519 barrier seats for safe standing had been installed within the north-east quadrant, with around 500 more to be added in late December.

United's first game testing safe standing will be against Wolves on January 3, with the new standing area to be independently evaluated from its introduction until the end of the 2021-22 season.

A review of other areas of the ground that may be suitable for barrier seats will also take place throughout the rest of the current campaign after United's initial application for safe standing was approved by the Sports Ground Safety Authority.

Matthijs de Ligt's future at Juventus is unclear following comments from his agent Mino Raiola.

The Netherlands international has been with the Bianconeri since July 2019 but could be set to move on.

Juventus are off the pace in the Serie A title race this season and Raiola said his client was "ready for a new step".

 

TOP STORY – BARCA CONSIDER DE LIGT MOVE

Barcelona are considering making a move for Juventus defender De Ligt, reports Gerard Romero.

The Blaugrana would need to offload the salaries of Samuel Umtiti and Philippe Coutinho to enable the transfer.

De Ligt has been linked with a switch away from Juventus, with Chelsea also interested.

 

ROUND-UP

- Tottenham and Manchester United will rival Newcastle United in pursuit of Atletico Madrid's Kieran Trippier, claims 90min. Trippier is keen to return to England after two and a half years in Spain.

- Real Madrid are interested in Lille forward Jonathan David at the end of this season, claims Marca. Arsenal and West Ham are also monitoring the Canadian.

- Gerard Romero is reporting that Bayern Munich are considering a move for Barcelona's USA international full-back Sergino Dest.

- ESPN claims Arsenal are ready to listen to offers for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after he was stripped of the Gunners captaincy last week.

Jurgen Klopp is frustrated about the EFL Cup semi-finals being played over two legs after Liverpool set up a tie with Arsenal.

The Reds showed great character to come from two goals down to draw 3-3 at home with Leicester City in Wednesday's quarter-final contest, subsequently going on to win in the penalty shootout.

Diogo Jota scored off the bench in the second half and Takumi Minamino levelled with almost the last kick of the game – he would have sealed progression had he not missed his penalty, but Caoimhin Kelleher then denied Ryan Bertrand and the Reds' Portuguese forward got the job done.

The semi-final draw pits Liverpool against Arsenal in a double-header to be played during the first two weeks of 2022, and Klopp – who has routinely spoken out about player welfare this season – does not see why it cannot be played over 90 minutes.

"Yes, I think it would be better with one game, absolutely," Klopp told reporters afterwards.

"But obviously what I say is not too important, so if there are two games then we play two games.

"It would be helpful if it was only one, true."

On the wider issue of player welfare, Klopp revealed managers are due to take part in a Premier League meeting on Thursday afternoon.

However, he opted against going into too much detail for fear of creating headlines.

"The only thing I do with my messages is I create headlines. They never arrived at the right places," he said. "We have tomorrow at four o'clock a meeting, but it's with the Premier League – not with EFL, I am not sure if these people are involved or not.

"I don't speak about player welfare [just] this year, I speak about it for six years – or maybe longer. It's like it is.

"If the things I say would help more I would say them much more often, but it doesn't help – it would just now create another headline.

"I said it, I would prefer only one semi-final [leg]. The draw is we play at Arsenal, I am fine with that – [if it was a one-off game] we play there, see who is better and go for it, but I can't see any kind of changes actually."

In a separate interview, Klopp again railed against the Premier League for the packed nature of the Christmas schedule, with Liverpool set to play on Boxing Day and then on December 28.

"Boxing Day is a wonderful game, no one would want to cancel that, but 26th and then 28th is absolutely impossible, it's a joke that they still do it because it's no problem to play 26th and then 29th," he told ViaPlay.

"If 28th isn't a matchday, who cares? People have enough to do with seeing families or whatever. Play 26th and 29th, it's still the shortest of all possible breaks but it's fine. 26th and 28th is just not right. It's really dangerous for the players, it is."

Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi could be available for Chelsea's Premier League meeting with Aston Villa on Boxing Day following negative COVID-19 tests. 

Lukaku and Hudson-Odoi were among a group of seven players to miss last weekend's 0-0 Premier League draw with Wolves due to a positive coronavirus test. 

However, Tuchel confirmed the duo could be back in training on Thursday if they return a negative result for the second straight day. 

Ben Chilwell has also tested negative but will not be involved against Villa on Sunday as he continues to recover from a serious ankle injury. 

"If I understand correctly we a negative test first of all, and we had a negative test for Romelu and Callum and Ben Chilwell," said Tuchel following Chelsea's 2-0 EFL Cup quarter-final win against Brentford. 

"Ben Chilwell will not be involved in the Aston Villa game and for the other two they will be on the pitch tomorrow if they test negative again. Then we need to see. The guys have been ill and had symptoms. So let's see. 

"It's a Premier League game at one of the toughest places you can play. It's good news, don't get me wrong, but I'm not over-excited now because I need to check how they are." 

Chelsea's success over Brentford came following a late double, with Pontus Jansson putting through his own net and Jorginho – who made his comeback after a false COVID-19 positive – scoring a penalty in the final 10 minutes. 

The Blues had struggled to create meaningful chances before that and only remained on level terms thanks to some good saves from Kepa Arrizabalaga. 

Tuchel is pleased to have the world's most expensive goalkeeper performing at a high level with Edouard Mendy due to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations in January. 

"I am super impressed and very happy with Kepa. It is not a surprise anymore because he is in that state of mind as a person, a character and a sportsman where he just delivers for us because he does what he does best," said Tuchel. 

"This is what he shows every day in training and that's why he gets the reward. I am absolutely sure that this is the reason he has these kinds of performances.

"We need him in this shape. The goalkeepers are a strong group. Kepa is a big part of it and he was a big factor today – in the first half especially." 

Chelsea will go up against London rivals Tottenham and their former head coach Antonio Conte in a two-legged semi-final, with Arsenal and Liverpool contesting the other final-four tie. 

"It was always going to be a tough draw. Tottenham is nice for our fans. A London derby, we are looking forward to it and we want to be there," said Tuchel. 

"I am absolutely happy about this result [against Brentford]. We had a brilliant performance and result given the circumstances and the line-up and the situation of some of the guys that played today were youngsters and some of the others leading them hadn't had many minutes. 

"I'm very happy. Very disciplined, very structured, and in the structure with a lot of confidence and quality individually so well done for the boys, I'm supper happy." 

Manchester United will have all their available players back in training on Thursday after the club's facilities were shut due to a COVID-19 outbreak. 

A series of positive coronavirus cases forced United to halt first-team operations at their Carrington training ground last week and saw their Premier League games against Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion postponed. 

Players returned to training on a staggered basis following Monday's announcement that the festive Premier League fixtures would be going ahead as planned, which came after six games were called off last weekend. 

Thursday will see the outstanding members of the team report for duty again, with United building up to their return to action against Newcastle United on Monday. 

"The lads have been training and today [Wednesday] we brought all the rest of the lads back to training, there are only a couple left that will be coming in tomorrow," Rashford told United Daily. 

"So, we've pretty much got the full squad back, which is a positive going into the week." 

Ralf Rangnick oversaw successive 1-0 wins after taking charge and against Newcastle could become the first United manager to keep a clean sheet in each of their first three league games. 

Recent history is on the Red Devils' side, with United having won their past four Premier League meetings with Newcastle – their best run since coming out on top in five straight encounters from 2004 until 2006. 

"Everyone is looking forward and everyone is very positive at the minute," said Rashford, who has been involved in seven goals (four scored, three assisted) in as many top-flight matches against the Magpies. 

"We were all disappointed when the last game got cancelled but, at the end of the day, there’s nothing you can really do about it. We have to just focus on the next game that will be played and hopefully that game goes ahead." 

United take on Burnley at home three days after their trip to St James' Park, with Wolves visiting Old Trafford the following Monday. 

Rashford said: "I definitely enjoy this time of year. I think the way you start the season and the way you play, and the results you get around the Christmas period, are probably the two most important points [in the season]. 

"So, if we have a good Christmas period now, then we can keep that momentum going and that will take you into the big games where the trophies are come the end of the season." 

Ralf Rangnick has made further changes to Manchester United's coaching set-up following the appointment of Ewan Sharp as assistant coach and team analyst.

Sharp previously worked under Rangnick at New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC and most recently Lokomotiv Moscow.

The Scotsman's appointment was confirmed on United's official website on Wednesday.

Since taking over as interim manager last month, Rangnick has also brought in coach Chris Armas and sports psychologist Sascha Lense.

First-team coach Michael Carrick departed soon after Rangnick's arrival, while fellow backroom staff member Kieran McKenna was appointed as Ipswich Town boss last week.

Rangnick ​has until the end of the season to make his mark at Old Trafford, with the scope of a further two years as a consultant.

United have won two and drawn one of their first three games under the German and return to action on Monday with a trip to Newcastle United.

Benjamin Mendy has been charged with a further count of rape.

The Manchester City defender had already been charged with six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault and has been held in custody since his arrest in August.

Mendy was charged initially by Cheshire Constabulary in relation to alleged attacks between October 2020 and August 2021.

In November, he was charged with two additional counts of rape, alleged to have taken place in the same timespan.

On Wednesday, Mendy, along with co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie, appeared at Chester Crown Court for a pre-trial hearing.

That court appearance resulted in reporting restrictions on the new charge, which was made earlier in December, being lifted.

Nicolas Pepe is not happy with his playing time at Arsenal, but his frustration is something manager Mikel Arteta is happy to see.

The winger started Tuesday's 5-1 EFL Cup quarter-final win over Sunderland, scoring Arsenal's second goal and setting up the final two for Eddie Nketiah and Charlie Patino.

That was only Pepe's eighth start of the season in all competitions. In total, he has played 759 minutes in 2021-22, fewer than youngster Gabriel Martinelli and the apparently out-of-favour Alexandre Lacazette.

Arteta said Pepe is putting up a fight to earn more minutes for the Gunners, something he wants to see from all of his squad players.

"A player that doesn't play, if he's happy you have a big problem and Nico has not been happy," he said of Arsenal's record signing.

"He's been trying to challenge us and asking us for more minutes because this is what he wants to do and rightly so and this is the attitude that we want from our players."

Pepe could be in line to face Norwich City in the Premier League on Boxing Day as Arsenal prepare for a run of three league games in five days.

It is still unclear whether former club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will return, the Gabon striker having been left out since being stripped of the armband for ill discipline this month.

Arteta would not rule out the striker from being involved as he stressed it was not a matter of waiting for Aubameyang to apologise.

"What I said is that we make the squad the day before and today, as it's still Wednesday, I haven't done the squad," he said.

"I think we have shown in this club that everybody can make mistakes or can have different ways of thinking or acting. I'm completely open to that, and it's not about that."

Monday marked two years since Arteta was appointed as Unai Emery's replacement at Arsenal.

The former Manchester City assistant has enjoyed mixed fortunes, winning the FA Cup but failing to secure a Champions League return while conducting an overhaul of the squad.

Since Arteta's appointment, Arsenal have won 37 of their 77 league games, gaining 127 points in total. Only Manchester United, Chelsea (both 142), Liverpool (160) and Man City (176) have taken more in that time.

Asked what he is most proud of during his time in charge, Arteta replied: "The atmosphere, the environment and the culture we have around the club and the sense of unity that we have from everybody who works at the club and the sense of unity that we have with our supporters that I think has come a long, long way.

"I think I have made a lot of mistakes for sure in this period, I would have time to reflect on that. I wish I had six trophies here next to me because that's what this club deserves!

"There are still a lot of things we need to get much better at, to improve, but I think the team is going in the right direction. That is the feeling that I have."

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is worried that "nobody really takes player welfare seriously" as Premier League clubs prepare for a packed fixture schedule.

Jurgen Klopp's side drew 2-2 with Tottenham last Sunday as part of a run of five matches in just two weeks in all competitions.

While a busy period in December is nothing new for teams in England's top flight, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic – particularly amid the spike in cases driven by the Omicron variant – has complicated matters.

All but four of last weekend's Premier League games were postponed due to cases of COVID-19 among players and staff, while Liverpool were without Virgil van Dijk, Curtis Jones, Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara against Spurs after positive tests.

The Reds will almost certainly rotate their side for Wednesday's EFL Cup game against Leicester City, with their next league game at home to Leeds United only four days away. Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has already confirmed he will look to use Under-23 players in their clash with Brentford due to absences caused by injury and coronavirus.

Despite the problems, clubs chose to go ahead with the festive schedule at a meeting on Monday, and Henderson believes players are going to suffer if their concerns about fixture pile-ups are not taken into account.

"I don't think people can appreciate how intense it is until you actually see it first hand," he told BBC Sport.

"Football to us is everything, and we want to be able to perform at the highest level every time we set foot on the pitch. And unfortunately, in this period it is difficult to do that.

"That has been like this for a few years now, and it has been difficult but then, on top of that, you chuck in Covid and it becomes even harder and even worse.

"I am concerned that nobody really takes player welfare seriously.

"I think decisions get made – of course we want to play as footballers, we want to get out there and play – but I am worried about player welfare and I don't think anybody does take that seriously enough, especially in this period, when Covid is here.

"We will try to have conversations in the background and try to have some sort of influence going forward, but at the minute I don't feel the players get the respect they deserve in terms of having somebody being able to speak for them independently and having the power to say actually this isn't right for player welfare.

"I know people will say we do get paid a lot of money to go out and play football. I get that and understand that, but football is everything to us. And especially those players that are playing international games and European games, you get a maximum of probably two or three weeks off a year. I am not sure that is enough to physically recover and mentally recover from the season previous.

"But again, there is no communication with players in terms of what they think, which is a big problem really, I am not saying they have to make decisions on what players think, because everybody will have a different opinion, but I think they need to be part of a conversation because, ultimately, we are the ones that are going out and feeling it and playing it."

Henderson missed out on Sunday after falling ill with a cold, though Klopp confirmed the England international had tested negative for coronavirus.

Real Madrid saw Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos leave in the off-season.

The Spanish champions have fared well without them, leading LaLiga comfortably.

But Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti wants to add to their backline.

 

TOP STORY – MADRID CONSIDER GOMEZ MOVE

Madrid are lining up a potential move for Liverpool defender Joe Gomez, according to the Daily Mail.

Madrid will monitor the England international defender who has recently returned to fitness ahead of an off-season move.

Los Blancos' priority after 2021-22 is their attack and landing Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe, but they do want to bolster their defensive options.

 

ROUND-UP

- Liverpool are genuine contenders to sign Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland according to Sky Germany. Madrid, Manchester CityManchester United and PSG have been heavily linked with the Norwegian, but the Reds are in the race.

- Mundo Deportivo claims that Manchester UnitedBarcelona and Madrid are all keeping tabs on Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman.

- United forward Anthony Martial wants to join Sevilla on loan in January and will hold talks with the club, claims Sky Sports.

- Hoffenheim midfielder Florian Grillitsch is drawing interest from both Tottenham and Roma who will jostle for his services, reports Sky Germany.

- Everton will look to sign Rangers right-back Nathan Patterson again but will need to pay £10m, reports the Daily Mail.

Antonio Conte suggested Tottenham will take UEFA to court over the governing body's "unfair" decision that consequently eliminated his side from the Europa Conference League.  

Spurs' final group match against Rennes on December 9 was called off late on following a coronavirus outbreak at the Premier League club that saw five staff members and eight players test positive.

With a new date unable to be set for their European encounter, UEFA ruled that Spurs had forfeited the game and awarded Rennes a 3-0 victory, therefore eliminating Conte's side from the competition.

However, Conte does not agree with UEFA's decision to award Rennes the win and claimed the outcome may even have been influenced by "personal interest".

"For sure this is an incredible decision," he said at a news conference previewing Wednesday's EFL Cup quarter-final with West Ham. "This decision is not fair. All the world knows we were facing a big problem like COVID. 

"We didn't play through our fault but because we had many, many players with COVID and the government decided to stop our training sessions and to [shut] our training centre.

"Honestly for me, the players, the club and our fans, it's incredible the decision UEFA wanted to take. It's unfair for sure.

"We deserve to play for qualification on the pitch, not in this way. I'm very disappointed for UEFA's decision.

"I hope that in the future, in the next step, something can change because we deserve to play for qualification on the pitch, not in this way. It's not our fault.

"UEFA took this decision but then there's another step to confirm or not this incredible decision. But I repeat I'm very disappointed with UEFA because everybody knows the problem. 

"It means maybe someone doesn't know the problem we were having and maybe [there was] some personal interest [behind the decision]."

UEFA rules state a team cannot call off a match if they have 13 players from their A list, including a goalkeeper, available to play.

Asked to clarify if the "next step" means taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Conte added: "Yeah. UEFA took this decision but there's another step and we're confident that there's another step.

"I repeat, it was incredible what UEFA did. Also, in explanation about this defeat, I have read that Tottenham couldn't play [a rearranged] game because of COVID cases. I dispute this. But [UEFA] took this decision.

"We are very, very confident for the next step and I repeat we deserve to play for qualification on the pitch, not in the court. I can't accept this. We are very, very disappointed with UEFA for this."

Rennes finished top of Group G and are through to the last 16 of UEFA's third-tier European competition, while Vitesse – who finished three points ahead of Tottenham – are scheduled to face Rapid Vienna in the play-off round.

Antonio Conte suggested Tottenham will take UEFA to court over the governing body's "unfair" decision that consequently eliminated his side from the Europa Conference League.  

Spurs' final group match against Rennes on December 9 was called off late on following a coronavirus outbreak at the Premier League club that saw five staff members and eight players test positive.

With a new date unable to be set for their European encounter, UEFA ruled that Spurs had forfeited the game and awarded Rennes a 3-0 victory, therefore eliminating Conte's side from the competition.

However, Conte does not agree with UEFA's decision to award Rennes the win and claimed the outcome may even have been influenced by "personal interest".

"For sure this is an incredible decision," he said at a news conference previewing Wednesday's EFL Cup quarter-final with West Ham. "This decision is not fair. All the world knows we were facing a big problem like COVID. 

"We didn't play through our fault but because we had many, many players with COVID and the government decided to stop our training sessions and to [shut] our training centre.

"Honestly for me, the players, the club and our fans, it's incredible the decision UEFA wanted to take. It's unfair for sure.

"We deserve to play for qualification on the pitch, not in this way. I'm very disappointed for UEFA's decision.

"I hope that in the future, in the next step, something can change because we deserve to play for qualification on the pitch, not in this way. It's not our fault.

"UEFA took this decision but then there's another step to confirm or not this incredible decision. But I repeat I'm very disappointed with UEFA because everybody knows the problem. 

"It means maybe someone doesn't know the problem we were having and maybe [there was] some personal interest [behind the decision]."

UEFA rules state a team cannot call off a match if they have 13 players from their A list, including a goalkeeper, available to play.

Asked to clarify if the "next step" means taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Conte added: "Yeah. UEFA took this decision but there's another step and we're confident that there's another step.

"I repeat, it was incredible what UEFA did. Also, in explanation about this defeat, I have read that Tottenham couldn't play [a rearranged] game because of COVID cases. I dispute this. But [UEFA] took this decision.

"We are very, very confident for the next step and I repeat we deserve to play for qualification on the pitch, not in the court. I can't accept this. We are very, very disappointed with UEFA for this."

Rennes finished top of Group G and are through to the last 16 of UEFA's third-tier European competition, while Vitesse – who finished three points ahead of Tottenham – are scheduled to face Rapid Vienna in the play-off round.

Thomas Tuchel accepts the decision for the Premier League season to continue over the festive period and says Chelsea are up for the challenge of competing on multiple fronts.

The Blues had a late request to call off Sunday's league clash with Wolves rejected amid a spate of absentees due to coronavirus and injuries.

Chelsea had just four outfield players on the bench at Molineux for the goalless draw as they dropped points for the third time in four top-flight outings.

That was just one of four Premier League games to go ahead at the weekend, with six others postponed as clubs continue to be hit by COVID-19 cases within their squads.

Tuchel accused league officials of putting the welfare of players at risk by making the game go ahead during the busiest period of the season for teams.

But despite concerns also being raised by other high-profile figures, a decision was reached on Monday for the schedule to continue as planned over Christmas and into the new year.

Prior to taking on Aston Villa, Brighton and Hove Albion and Liverpool in the next 12 days, Chelsea first have an EFL Cup quarter-final with Brentford to prepare for on Wednesday.

And despite still being without a number of first-team players, Tuchel understands the difficult position clubs and organisers are in to ensure games go ahead.

"I understand it is not easy to postpone games but for isolated situations like ours [against Wolves], we thought we had a strong case," he said at Tuesday's pre-match news conference. 

"I shared my thoughts with everybody, and we accept the situation. We accepted the challenge, and we will accept the next challenge.

"I don't know if stopping the season would help and I don't want to give the impression I have the solution. It was my thought particularly for the last two days around the Wolves game and coming into it. That was my concern."

Tuchel added: "I would not say I'm disappointed at the decision. I think it would have been too easy. I don't have a solution for the schedule. I don't know, it might have just delayed the problem. 

"There are clubs who suffer a lot. We suffer very much at the moment so maybe it would be better to have a short break, but I do not have a solution or a clear opinion of what we can do for everybody."

Tuchel confirmed that N'Golo Kante will not be part of the matchday squad to face Brentford, while Trevoh Chalobah and Andreas Christensen are fitness doubts.

Those to have tested positive for coronavirus last week will also remain out, with the exception of midfielder Jorginho, whose test was a false positive.

A number of Under-23s players have trained with the depleted first team ahead of the trip to Brentford in what will be the first EFL Cup tie between the London clubs.

Asked if it is frustrating Chelsea cannot field their strongest line-up on Wednesday, Tuchel said: "Yes, because we are so competitive. That's why we work here, that's what made them Chelsea players. 

"I absolutely don't like judging the importance of games because you can never tell what that can do to you. There is nothing more important than winning and fighting the fights together.

"It is nothing new to play three matches in a week but without nine or 10 players, it is challenging. So, we struggle a little bit, but we find solutions."

Chelsea have progressed from their past three EFL Cup quarter-final ties, doing so in 2014-15, 2017-18 and 2018-19.

The Blues have also won six of their past seven meetings with Brentford in all competitions, including a 1-0 league victory at the Brentford Community Stadium this season.

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