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Premier League approve second Everton postponement request

Everton had an initial request to postpone the game rejected on Thursday
Everton had an initial request to postpone the game rejected on Thursday

Burnley's St Stephen's Day clash with Everton has been postponed due to the number of coronavirus cases in the Toffees' squad.

The scheduled games between Liverpool and Leeds and Wolves and Watford have already been postponed.

Everton had an initial request to postpone the game rejected on Thursday despite boss Rafael Benitez claiming he only had nine fit outfield players.

Everton confirmed in a brief statement: "Our Premier League fixture at Burnley on Boxing Day has been postponed due to the number of COVID cases and injuries in our squad."

The Premier League said it had taken the "regrettable" decision to postpone the game following a meeting of its Board on Friday morning.

It said in a statement: "The Board reviewed the club's request today to postpone the match following further injuries to their squad.

"They concluded that the club will not be able to fulfil their fixture this weekend as a result of an insufficient number of players available to play due to Covid-19 cases and injuries."

Benitez said on Thursday that he was "surprised" the game had been expected to go ahead.

His squad endured a Covid outbreak following the game against Chelsea on 16 December, while a number of top players including Richarlison and Andros Townsend are injured.

Benitez said: "With the injuries and the positives that we have, we were expecting that the game would be postponed.

"Like in a lot of other games (to be postponed) to try and keep the integrity of the league, because you are losing so many players."

Meanwhile Norwich head coach Dean Smith feels it is "lunacy" to expect teams to play two games in 48 hours.

The Canaries' Premier League match at West Ham was called off last weekend because of the ongoing Covid-19 issues, with just four of the scheduled 10 top-flight games able to be played as scheduled.

Norwich City boss Dean Smith is the latest manager to hit out at the Premier League schedule

Norwich are set to host Arsenal on Sunday, and then play Crystal Palace on 28 December.

Smith, though, believes that is an unreasonable expectation.

"We have some fresh cases, but we have got others coming back. We are not sure how many will miss Boxing Day," he said.

"We are having to push rehab forward and people are breaking down in rehab because of that, it is asking massive questions of everybody's squads at the moment.

"It is lunacy that we are having to play two games in 48 hours and there has got to be a question about the integrity of the competition when teams are playing weakened teams against other teams and it is affecting league positions."

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