This archive report was first published on 25 December 2021.
On December 25, 2021, Aston Villa announced that head coach Steven Gerrard would miss the club's next two Premier League games due to a positive Covid-19 test.
According to the club, Gerrard will be unable to attend the Boxing Day game at home to Chelsea and the visit to Leeds on December 28, if the match goes ahead.
This comes after Aston Villa's last game, at home to Burnley, was postponed on December 18 due to a coronavirus outbreak in the Villa camp.
Three of Sunday's scheduled Premier League games were called off, including the Leeds visit to Liverpool, due to a Covid outbreak and injury problems at the Yorkshire club.
On December 22, Gerrard expressed concerns about the club's ability to tackle two matches in two days with just 14 players available, citing the risk of infection and the importance of protecting families.
He said, 'We had a situation at the weekend where one of the players was reluctant to get out of his car because he had some symptoms and he's got a young family, and you can totally understand his view in his situation.'
As of December 25, 2021, 25 Boxing Day games across the top four divisions of English football had been postponed, with only 10 games in the three lower divisions still due to go ahead.
