06.01.2022 13:04 h

Burnley boss Dyche sidelined by coronavirus

Burnley boss Sean Dyche will miss his side's FA Cup tie against Huddersfield this weekend after testing positive for coronavirus, the Premier League club announced on Thursday.

The Clarets, who play the Championship team in the third round at Turf Moor on Saturday, said Dyche was in isolation.

"Burnley Football Club can confirm manager Sean Dyche will miss this weekend's FA Cup third-round tie at home to Huddersfield after testing positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday," the club said in a statement.

"Sean will now follow the mandatory self-isolation protocols."

Burnley have won only one Premier League game this season and are third from bottom of the table.

The Omicron variant of Covid-19 has played havoc with the English football calendar, forcing the postponement of many matches over the past month.

Burnley, who also lost a match due to a snow-bound pitch, have played just 17 games -- four fewer than Manchester City and Chelsea.

The Premier League announced on Monday that 14,250 tests were carried out on players and staff between 27 December and 2 January, with 94 positive cases.

It was the first week-by-week decrease in positive tests since early November, with a record 103 positives recorded the previous week.