COVID-19: Leicester ready to play remaining home matches at neutral venues

Leicester have had Chelsea on the back foot — The lockdown of Leicester will, in all probability, see the team playing their remaining three home matches at neutral venues. Image Credit: AP

London: Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers says the club’s King Power Stadium is “a very safe environment” and his team will continue to work in the same way unless told otherwise by local authorities as the number of COVID-19 cases rise in the area.

The government has imposed a lockdown on the city of Leicester, which has a higher infection rate than anywhere else in the country, in its first major attempt to curb an outbreak with local rather than national measures.

Speaking before Monday’s decision, which could see Leicester play their three remaining Premier League home games at neutral venues, Rodgers said his team had to be flexible.

“Nothing has changed in terms of how we have been working thus far throughout this situation,” Rodgers told reporters. “It’s a very safe environment for the games to be in. We will just keep working until we are told otherwise.

“I have always said we will react accordingly. We have to have agility in this period. I think in this moment in time we are in the safest place we can be in terms of our work, the stadium also.”

Leicester, sitting pretty in third, visit Everton on Wednesday and are then set to host Crystal Palace on Saturday. Palace manager Roy Hodgson said he would follow the league’s guidelines on where his team have to play that fixture.

“We’re happy to go up and play Leicester wherever the Premier League feels we should play... I’m perfectly happy to let the Premier League take care of that,” said Hodgson.

Joshua King misses training

Meanwhile, Bournemouth striker Joshua King has missed training due to an ankle injury and will undergo a late fitness test before the Cherries’ Premier League match against Newcastle United on Wednesday, manager Eddie Howe said.

The 28-year-old hobbled off after a challenge by Gary Cahill in their 2-0 defeat by Crystal Palace and missed last week’s 1-0 loss against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

“Joshua had a scan, nothing serious came back from it. He still hasn’t trained with us so will be touch and go for the game,” Howe told a news conference.

Bournemouth will be without Callum Wilson for the next two matches after the England striker picked up his 10th booking of the season against Wolves, leaving Howe with Dominic Solanke and Sam Surridge as his fit options.

Both players have yet to score in the Premier League for Bournemouth.

“The goalscoring issue has been an issue for us throughout the season, and the biggest concern is that it’s very unlike us,” said Howe, whose side have managed only 29 goals in 31 matches this season.