Fulham have now officially announced that they will fill in for a Covid-19 hit Aston Villa to play their own recently postponed Premier League encounter against Spurs on Wednesday night.
Fulham, who have just overcome their own Covid-19 outbreak which saw their ties against Tottenham on December 30 and Burnley on January 3, have seen their schedule change on two fronts.
Scott Parker’s side were not initially set to play this week, like many other top-flight sides, but with no chance of Villa vs Spurs going ahead, they have been slotted back in.
The Premier League’s decision will also see their west London derby against Chelsea pushed back a day, it was originally set for Friday night and will now kick off at 17.30pm on Saturday 16 January.
According to the Athletic (subscription required), the fixture shifting could also impact Chelsea on another front, it’s added that the Blues’ tie vs Leicester could be pushed from Tuesday to Wednesday.
Fixture switches…
? Spurs – Wednesday 13 Jan, 20:15
? Chelsea – Saturday 16 Jan, 17:30#FFC pic.twitter.com/ECALFhqKBv— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) January 11, 2021
It would seem only fair for Chelsea’s massive encounter with Leicester to be pushed back by a day if the Fulham one is, otherwise the league is at risk of being questioned.
The Athletic add that Fulham are unhappy with the decision, and perhaps rightly so, they’ve just been involved in a FA Cup tie with west London rivals QPR that went to extra time.
Immediately after a 120-minute encounter, the relegation candidates now face the prospect of having to face one of the division’s top sides in Tottenham.