Football: Leeds-Villa game on Dec 28 postponed due to Covid-19

(REUTERS) - Leeds United's home Premier League game against Aston Villa on Tuesday (Dec 28) has been postponed due to positive Covid-19 cases and injuries in the Leeds squad, the league said on Sunday (Dec 26).

Fourteen Premier League games have been called off this month due to Covid-19, but the league said its intention was to continue the fixture schedule where safely possible.

"Following a request from Leeds United, the Premier League Board met today and regrettably agreed to postpone the club's home fixture against Aston Villa, due to be played at 17:30 GMT on Tuesday 28 December," the league said in a statement.

"The postponement is a result of the ongoing Covid-19 cases and injuries at Leeds which saw their Boxing Day match against Liverpool called off. The Board accepted the postponement application as the club does not have the required number of players available for the match."

Leeds' trip to Liverpool on Boxing Day was postponed for similar reasons, while positive cases in the Villa camp forced the league to postpone their home game against Burnley on Dec 18. On Christmas Day, Villa also announced that manager Steven Gerrard is self-isolating after testing positive for the coronavirus, ruling him out of their next two games.

Leeds said that while there were no new cases in the playing squad, the majority of those who returned positive tests ahead of the Liverpool game were still in isolation.

The Premier League grants a postponement only if a club has fewer than 14 players - 13 outfield players and one goalkeeper - available, with the board examining requests on a case-by-case basis.

Leeds are 16th in the league standings with 16 points from 18 games, six points adrift of 10th-placed Villa, who host Chelsea later on Sunday (Dec 26).