Leeds United have been hit by several COVID-19 cases within their squad and coaching staff over the past week.
While it is understood the vast majority of cases are asymptomatic, it has meant Leeds have been unable to field the required 13 players, including one goalkeeper, for Premier League fixtures to go ahead.
As a result, their games against Liverpool (26 December) and Aston Villa (28 December) have been postponed, with no confirmation yet as to when these matches will be played.
Heading into 2022, the sheer volume of postponements presents the Premier League with a problem: there is very little available time to fulfil the division's outstanding fixtures.
With the Omicron variant still sweeping through clubs, wreaking havoc on fixture lists at short notice, it is expected that teams will see further postponements in the coming weeks.
Due to Leeds United's 100% vaccine uptake at Thorp Arch, it is hoped that such postponements will be minimised in future as antibody protection from a third, booster dose builds within the squad.
However, the problem still remains: when will Leeds be able to play Liverpool and Aston Villa?
An investigation by The Athletic has found 2022's calendar to be tightly packed with matches across various competitions, further complicated by the shortened summer break due to the Qatar World Cup.
Liverpool remain in the League Cup, FA Cup and have reached the knockout rounds of the Champions League, on top of their Premier League commitments.
Villa - like Leeds - have no European football to contend with and are only battling on one other front aside from the Premier League.
Both Leeds and Steven Gerrard's Villans will contest all-Premier League ties in the FA Cup Third Round, and elimination from that competition would ease the fixture burden, allowing the league to reschedule that particular game with relative ease.
"There are precisely two free spaces in the current calendar with no domestic cup or European football scheduled," say The Athletic.
"Midweek of the week commencing Monday, April 18 [and] midweek of the week commencing Monday, May 9."
Provided there are no further Leeds fixtures postponed, fitting two games in hand into the schedule will be a squeeze, but can be done.
Liverpool's progression through the Champions League knockouts could throw a potential spanner in the works for the Anfield club, but that would only serve to benefit Leeds if the Reds were to suffer from fixture congestion.
As it stands, it appears likely the above dates will see some midweek Premier League football.
It does however mean Leeds would face Manchester City (30 April), Arsenal (7 May) and Liverpool (w/c 9 May) over the space of roughly ten days at the business end of the season.
Rescheduled fixtures are as yet unconfirmed and will be subject to a final decision by the Premier League.
Leeds' next game is at home to Burnley on January 2, 2022.
