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Chelsea’s third round FA Cup tie with Morecambe is now expected to go ahead after the League Two club declared themselves fit following a Covid outbreak.
The Lancashire side went into isolation for 10 days after staff tested positive for the virus, but according to co-chairman Rod Taylor they will be ready for their big day at Stamford Bridge to face Frank Lampard’s all-star team on Sunday.
The Shrimps are due to report for training with manager Derek Adams on Wednesday.
The players and staff will undergo a Covid test on Thursday, which is 72 hours before the game, as set out in the FA’s protocols. But after isolating for 10 days, Taylor is confident the team is as healthy as it can be.
‘We are fine, we are all good, except for one or two longer term injuries,’ Taylor told Sportsmail.
‘We have been isolating for the last 10 days and they are due back in training. No one has got symptoms.’
‘As far as we are aware, we are playing and we are preparing for the game.’
Morecambe were on a hot streak of form before coronavirus struck.
Their last match was a 3-1 home win over Grimsby Town on Boxing Day, which was their fourth consecutive victory and it propelled them to fifth place in League Two.
However, on December 28 they announced they had closed their training ground and the squad had gone into isolation after staff had come down with Covid symptoms and they tested positive.
Morecambe are one of many teams in the EFL to be affected by coronavirus. More than 50 games have been postponed in the Football League in recent weeks.
The Shrimps had been due to play Bolton Wanderers away on December 29 and Bradford away on January 2, but both games were postponed.
At that stage Sunday’s third round tie looked to be in doubt, but it appears Morecambe have bounced back.
They are in good heart and will have three days to prepare for Chelsea, who have won the FA Cup eight times, most recently in 2018 when they defeated Manchester United 1-0.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s players may welcome a chance to play again sooner than they might have expected after a chastening experience in their 3-1 home defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.
The Blues’ stuttering form in the Premier League – just one win and three defeats in the last five games – have put Lampard under pressure and no doubt sharpened the desire of his squad to prove their worth.
Vincent Paulista
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