Saturday's Challenge Cup clash between Pau and Saracens will not be played after the Premiership club forfeited the fixture following a spike in coronavirus cases within their camp.
The London outfit were due to travel ahead of their Round 2 matchup at the Stade du Hameau, but Mark McCall's side will instead record a 28-0 defeat while Pau claim the maximum five points.
Wednesday's announcement means Saracens have now lost twice in as many games in Pool C, having succumbed 21-18 at home to Edinburgh in their European opener this past Saturday.
It leaves the English powerhouse winless in Pool C and facing uncertainty, with Pau temporarily moving level on five points alongside leaders London Irish, who boast a game in hand over their Top 14 counterparts.
Saracens are the second club to call off a European fixture due to Covid cases this season, with Scarlets having recently forfeited their Champions Cup game against Bristol Bears after seeing their squad options decimated.
The Premiership club published a statement that read: "We have been working closely with EPCR [European Professional Club Rugby] and PRL [Premiership Rugby Limited] and it is with regret that our game versus Section Paloise in the EPCR Challenge Cup on Saturday, 18 December has had to be forfeited by Saracens due to our inability to field a 23-man squad for this fixture."
"This is extremely disappointing for everyone at the club but as always the health and wellbeing of our people is our priority at this time.
"The squad will return to full training on 24 December following the necessary period of isolation.
"We would like to reassure our supporters that our Gallagher Premiership fixture versus Worcester Warriors on 26 December will still take place."
Saracens also confirmed their training ground has been closed for the time being, with "all players, coaches and support staff" entering isolation.
Do you think Saracens will progress past the Challenge Cup pool stage? Let us know in the comments section.
Covid-19 cases have once again begun to rise across the United Kingdom as it tackles the new Omicron variant of the virus.
Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur recently saw their meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion postponed due to a spike in positive cases, while Manchester United have since seen a fixture against Brentford moved to a later date for the same reason.
Saracens now have only two fixtures to salvage their Challenge Cup fate, with McCall's men scheduled to host Irish on the weekend of January 21-23 before concluding their Pool C campaign away to Brive in early April.
The top three teams from each Challenge Cup pool automatically advance to the competition's last 16, although the best fourth-placed team will also progress to the knockout stages.
