As Covid-19 cases surge across the country, the number of empty seats at football stadiums appear to be growing.
The Omicron variant has led to a large increase of Covid-19 cases in the UK, with Wednesday seeing 78,610 people testing positive - the highest daily number since the pandemic began.
It has also affected football with matches getting called off, players missing games due to positive tests and as visible in Chelsea's clash with Everton - plenty of empty seats in the grandstands.
The empty seats come as no surprise, especially with the current surge in the UK and with just more than a week to go until Christmas.
There are fears that receiving a positive test now, could mean people are stuck in isolation for the festive period.
Those who test positive for the virus would have to self-isolate for ten days.
Thomas Tuchel's side missed a number of key players for the clash with the Toffees.
Mateo Kovacic tested positive last week, while Romelu Lukaku, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Timo Werner and the injured Ben Chilwell all returned positive tests on Wednesday.
That could be a potential reason for the number of empty seats at Stamford Bridge for the game with Everton on Thursday night.
Ahead of the game, BT Sport pundit Glenn Hoddle said: 'It's dreadful Covid has come back and affected the world yet alone football. It is what it is. Good the game is on.'
Football is bracing itself for more than a dozen requests for matches to be postponed this weekend amidst the Omicron surge.
In the hour leading up to kick-off at Stamford Bridge, the Premier League in one statement already confirmed games between Southampton and Brentford, Watford and Crystal Palace, West Ham and Norwich, and Everton and Leicester have been postponed.
Liverpool also reported a number of positive cases with Fabinho, Virgil van Dijk and Curtis Jones all unavailable for their clash with Newcastle.
Brentford's clash at home Manchester United on Tuesday was postponed until the New Year after the visitors were forced to close down their training centre in the build-up to the match.
Meanwhile, Burnley's match against Watford on Wednesday was called off two hours before kick-off after the Hornets announced an outbreak in their team.
Leicester’s top flight clash with Tottenham, and Saturday matches between Sheffield Wednesday’s and Accrington and Crawley’s encounter with Oldham Athletic have all been called off on Thursday, with officials expecting many more to follow suit.
The Foxes applied to the Premier League once again on Thursday morning to postpone the match with Spurs, after both clubs saw appeals rejected earlier this week. The Foxes have also closed their training ground to deal with the outbreak.
The Premier League is holding daily briefings, while the League Managers’ Association is in regular dialogue with the top flight and EFL as managers seek clarity on a rapidly worsening situation.
