EPL 2021-22: Fresh COVID cases pop up in Manchester City, Chelsea camps ahead of Saturday showdown

The EPL 2021-22 will see Gameweek 22 from Saturday. Meanwhile, the game between Manchester City and Chelsea is in doubt. Fresh COVID cases have been reported from both camps.

Gameweek 22 of the 2021-22 English Premier League (EPL) will see a high-octane clash between defending champion Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. However, the match is doubtful as of Friday night after new COVID cases were reported in the camp of both sides. While City head coach Pep Guardiola did not reveal the names, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed that Andreas Christensen has tested positive.

During the pre-match press conference on Friday, Guardiola stated that while some of his boys were coming back, some tested positive. As for Chelsea, Tuchel confirmed that while Christensen misses out, Reece James too will not be travelling to Manchester, failing to recover from his recent injury. Trevoh Chalobah, too, has been ruled out for The Blues.

"No news, which is good news. Trevoh will be out, Reece James out, Ben Chilwell out. We have one new positive Covid test with Andreas Christensen. So, he will be out of the game," asserted Tuchel on Friday. Chelsea's recent COVID surge in the camp has witnessed some of its players miss out, leading to a dip in form and getting ten points behind leader City.

Notably, Chelsea is coming off a mid-week game against Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup semis, while City was free. Also, The Blues miss out on Eduoard Mendy, who is representing Senegal in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).