Barcelona have confirmed that Samuel Umtiti has tested positive for Coronavirus. The Frenchman becomes the latest of a long list of cases in La Liga with several clubs announcing positive results ahead of the season.
Athletic Bilbao were one of the teams to confirm six positive cases alongside Valencia’s two and several other club’s positive cases.
Barcelona confirmed the news via a statement, saying the following: “After the PCR tests carried out on Thursday, the first team player Samuel Umtiti has tested positive for Covid-19. The player is asymptomatic, is in good health and is isolating at home.”
Samuel Umtiti Tests Positive for Coronavirus
Positive Test Will Not Affect Barcelona in Champions League
Umtiti’s positive case will not affect the Barcelona vs Bayern Munich Champions League quarter-final tie. Umtiti is not with the travelling squad and is instead included in the nine players who began pre-season this week.
With the players slowly, but surely, returning from holiday across Europe, too, expect the positive cases to only increase in the next few weeks. The hope will be that most of the players adhered to the guidelines set to avoid coming into contact with the virus ahead of the season. It would be incredibly disappointing if the 2020/21 season faced delays due to any more positive cases.
For the sake of the football calendar, too, the season needs to get underway in swift fashion, avoiding any delays and, therefore, further extensions on the season in the process.
For now, though, Barcelona will turn their attention to the game in Lisbon with the chance to take one step closer to Champions League glory; a step they will be desperate to take. It may be their best chance yet to reclaim their European crown with just one leg to overcome.
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