Nottingham Forest’s upcoming opponents Middlesbrough have returned a number of positive coronavirus tests among players and staff.
The Reds are due to face Boro in a little less than a fortnight’s time, on Wednesday, January 20 at the City Ground.
Middlesbrough are due to travel to Brentford this weekend for a third round FA Cup tie, but the club say their Rockliffe Park training headquarters have been effectively shut down since Monday, after the first-team staff and players were tested.
A further round of testing, which also included under-23s players, was carried out on Thursday morning.
A statement from Boro said: “Our Emirates FA Cup preparations have been hit by positive tests for Covid-19 among first team players and staff this week.
“A round of testing was undertaken by the club of its own volition at the start of the week and a number of positive tests were returned.
“As a result, the training ground has been effectively closed since Monday and the first team have been unable to carry out any work on the Rockliffe pitches ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup trip to Brentford (6pm).
“Further mandatory tests took place on Thursday morning with the results expected ahead of the weekend. The club’s under-23 squad also joined the first team squad and staff in undergoing tests ahead of the cup tie.”
The English Football League and Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) this week confirmed they will be introducing twice-weekly COVID-19 testing for all 72 clubs from Monday, January 11.
