London, January 8: English Premier League club Aston Villa has confirmed that the club has closed its training ground due to an outbreak of Covid-19. "A large number of first-team players and staff returned positive tests after being routinely tested on Monday and immediately went into isolation," said the English football top-flight side in a statement on Thursday, reports Xinhua news agency. "A second round of testing was carried out immediately and produced more positive results today."

The team will cancel first-team training one day ahead of their FA Cup match with Liverpool. But the third-round tie has not been postponed as the club said they were working closely with the Football Association to try to ensure it can go ahead as scheduled. Aston Villa Manager Dean Smith's Father Dies from Coronavirus: Club.

"Final confirmation will be made tomorrow pending the results of additional Covid-19 testing," read a statement released by Villa. On Tuesday, the Premier League confirmed a season-high 40 positive coronavirus cases after two rounds of testing last week.

England entered into national lockdown for the third time on Tuesday to combat the spread of Covid-19, but elite sports are allowed to continue behind closed doors. Four Premier League matches have been postponed due to the outbreak of coronavirus so far this season. Villa's next Premier League game is against Tottenham on January 13.

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