Villa to field youngsters for Liverpool tie after COVID-19 outbreak

Aston Villa are preparing to field a team of youngsters in Friday’s FA Cup third-round tie at home to Liverpool after a “significant” Covid-19 outbreak at the club.

The club is in discussions with the Football Association and want to fulfil the fixture (kick-off 19:45 GMT) but final confirmation on whether the tie is played is still on hold pending the results of further testing on the young players who are now being considered for selection.

Mark Delaney, Villa’s under-23 coach, is scheduled to take charge in the absence of Smith and his backroom staff. He will be accompanied by a doctor, physiotherapist and kit staff.

The game was thrown into doubt when Villa confirmed the shutdown of the training ground after “a large number of first-team players and staff” returned positive Covid-19 results after being tested on Monday.

Those affected went into isolation and a second round of tests was carried out immediately, which produced more positive results on Thursday.

Villa are keen to play the game against Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League champions, who they thrashed 7-2 earlier this season. Manager Smith had planned to rest several stars for the game but the Covid-19 outbreak has thrown the club’s plans into chaos.

They will now be hoping the additional Covid-19 testing returns a clean bill of health with Villa liaising closely with the FA in the hope of getting the game played on Friday night.

The meeting between in-form Villa and Liverpool is one of the most attractive ties of the third round, even if both managers were set to field unfamiliar line-ups.

It also remains to be seen whether Villa’s scheduled Premier League home game against Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on Wednesday goes ahead.