A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Tuesday:
ITALY
Placed in quarantine by local health authorities, mid-table Bologna has had virtually no training ahead of a Serie A game at relegation-threatened Cagliari. The match was originally scheduled for Sunday then pushed back by two days to give Bologna’s seven players who are positive with COVID-19 more time to recover. The week-long quarantine expired Sunday night and Bologna issued a statement expressing its disapproval of playing with so little time to train. Bologna’s opening match of 2022 against Serie A leader Inter Milan wasn’t played.
Southampton's James Ward-Prowse, second right, celebrates scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, at St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton, England, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. (Andrew MatthewsPA via AP)
ENGLAND
The Premier League is playing catch-up after 19 postponements because of coronavirus cases, and Southampton's home match against Brentford is the first of the rearranged games to be played. Both teams are well clear of the relegation zone and looking to climb into mid-table with a win. Southampton needed extra time before completing a win over Swansea in the FA Cup on Saturday, adding to the heavy workload on a COVID-19 and injury-hit squad while also losing full back Yan Valery to suspension after he was red-carded. Alex McCarthy, Che Adams, Kyle Walker-Peters, Mohammed Salisu, Moussa Djenepo, Tino Livramento, Thierry Small and Will Smallbone are already out. Asked if he will have enough players against Brentford, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “At the moment it’s (a) lottery. You wake up in the morning and go to the training ground. You sit at breakfast and you are waiting for new (coronavirus) cases."
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