Brighton vs Arsenal to go ahead as planned despite Premier League match with Man City postponed due to coronavirus

Number of Arsenal players and staff have been forced to self-isolate after Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis confirmed he has coronavirus after meeting the squad last month

Brighton have released a statement to confirm their weekend Premier League fixture against Arsenal will go ahead as planned.

The Gunners were due to face Manchester City on Wednesday night in a game already rearranged due to the Carabao Cup final, but that fixture was postponed after a number of players and staff came into contact with Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis, who has tested positive for coronavirus.

But the north London club have confirmed that no players or staff have shown any symptoms of illness and their period of self-isolation ends on Thursday, meaning Saturday’s fixture remains on schedule.

Brighton’s statement says they have remained in contact with both government officials and medical advisory bodies, with the message being to keep on as normal.

“The medical advice we have received puts the risk of them developing Covid-19 at extremely low,” the statement continued.

“However, we are strictly following the government guidelines which recommend that anyone coming into close contact with someone with the virus should self-isolate at home for 14 days from the last time they had contact.

“The players will remain at their homes until the 14-day period expires. Four Arsenal staff — who were sitting close to Mr Marinakis during the match — will also remain at home until the 14 days are complete.”

Brighton will head into the match just two points above the relegation zone, having failed to win so far in 2020. Indeed, they have claimed just a single victory since December 5.

Arsenal have won three successive league games, leaving them ninth place and eight points off the Champions League spots – or five, if Man City’s ban is upheld and fifth is good enough for Europe’s elite competition.

West Ham have also confirmed that they are receiving health advice after they played Arsenal at the weekend, with guidelines suggesting a 14-day period of self-isolation if coronavirus infection is suspected.