Frank Lampard admits he is concerned about football in England continuing while the COVID-19 crisis escalates.

On Friday, London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, declared a "major incident" in the capital as hospitals face rising numbers of patients.

The English football authorities are carrying out regular tests on players and club staff, and the number of positive cases is rising, with 40 declared in the Premier League for last week.

Lampard said none of those were Chelsea players but confirmed "a small number of staff" with the London club had tested positive recently.

Sunday will see Chelsea welcome fourth-tier outfit Morecambe to Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup third round, with the visitors having recently had to postpone two games because of coronavirus cases in their ranks.

Chelsea head coach Lampard was asked about possible worries, and said: "Not just about playing Morecambe, but I do have concerns because of the current climate.

"We haven't had any players positive in the last couple of rounds – we have had a small number of staff.

"Of course, whilst the country is in lockdown for a reason, while football carries on for a reason, it means there's lots of mixing going on.

"We have to be ultra-careful. I'm not completely comfortable but we have to toe the line, we have to keep playing.

"The safety must come first. There are lots of moving parts and things are changing day by day, week by week."

Burnley boss Sean Dyche this week floated the idea that if footballers were vaccinated, it would lead to savings on testing and such money could be ploughed into the National Health Service.

Lampard said, as Dyche did, that footballers should not be seen to be jumping the queue ahead of those in most need.

He said: "Maybe there's a time down the line when we look at sports but I don't think it's that time right now."

Chelsea will be without the injured Reece James, Andreas Christensen and N'Golo Kante for the Morecambe game, and Lampard is considering giving a first-team chance to a number of academy players.

Lampard's team have lost 3-1 to both Arsenal and Manchester City, either side of a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa, in a Premier League slump over the past fortnight.

Previous defeats in mid-December to Everton and Wolves have also played a part in them falling away from being challengers near the top of the table to sitting in ninth place.

They face a fourth-tier side who have won six of their previous seven games, yet this is Morecambe's fourth appearance in the third round of the cup, and they have lost each of their previous games at this stage without scoring.

Chelsea's last third-round defeat in the competition came in 1997-98, when they lost to Manchester United.

Lampard said the challenge of returning his team to peak form "makes my job more exciting".

He accepts "confidence has been hit" and said: "The players need a lift. That's my job, the staff's job, and their job. I don't know any way out of a lack of confidence but to sprint yourself out of it and fight yourself out of it, because those are the rules of football."

He was reminded about Chelsea being stunned 4-2 by Bradford City in the fourth round in January 2015 and said: "Underdogs will turn up, try to win and make things difficult for you.

"Considering our current form, we have to be even more on guard and worry about ourselves, and get ourselves playing well, because if we play well and do our job right, we'll win the game I believe."

Jose Mourinho warned Tottenham would be left in an "impossible situation" if their game at Aston Villa is postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak and called on the Premier League to show "leadership".

Villa are expected to field a young side in the FA Cup third-round tie against Liverpool on Friday, as a large number of first-team players and staff tested positive for coronavirus this week.

Spurs already had a derby at Fulham called off on December 30 after the Cottagers were hit by the virus and a scheduled trip to Villa Park next Wednesday is now in doubt.

Tottenham will also face Manchester City at a later date of April 25 due to the pandemic and given they are fighting for honours on four fronts, Mourinho suggested they would refuse to accept any more postponements.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's FA Cup tie at Marine, he said: "I believe that is a completely impossible situation for a club to have three matches postponed, especially if that club plays in Europe. If that club doesn't play in Europe, of course there are the UEFA fixtures.

"For a Europa League team to have three matches postponed is impossible. Completely impossible. That's the only thing that I can say."

Asked about the prospect of facing Fulham instead of Villa, he added: "I don't know. It's not for me to find solutions. I'm not going to lie to you, I've been doing that hypothetical exercise with my staff.

"Of course, we have no influence and we don't want to have influence. The only thing that we can say is that what we did in the beginning of the season is impossible to repeat and we refuse to repeat.

"We have to defend our players, the integrity of our competitions and we would never accept to play seven matches in three weeks like we did before. One thing is [the] beginning [of the season], another thing is mid-season.

"And also because of the difficulties and demands of the matches. One thing is to play with all the risks, the Europa League play-offs, another thing is to play Europa League knockout where all the best teams are there.

"We cannot be put in an impossible situation. To have three matches postponed... it is the moment for the Premier League to show leadership, make decisions, that of course a club like us, is trying every day to be ready to play, to follow the rules that we had in our hands.

"We cannot be punished. If we don't play against Aston Villa, we will have three matches postponed and that is impossible. Because after the season we have the Euros, and of course the matches cannot be moved."

Mourinho revealed Gareth Bale trained on Friday and could travel to eighth-tier minnows Marine, while Jack Clarke and Harvey White will be in the squad.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has no doubt his Manchester United side are ready to bounce back to their EFL Cup disappointment against Manchester City when they host Watford this weekend.

The Red Devils were defeated 2-0 by Pep Guardiola's side at Old Trafford and have now lost each of the four semi-finals they have contested under Solskjaer.

Saturday brings another opportunity when United face the Hornets to start their FA Cup venture this season and Solskjaer expects his team to respond to this latest setback.

"The reaction has been as expected, of course you're disappointed when you go out, we wanted to go one step further but we've shown many times this season we can bounce back after a disappointment," he told a news conference ahead of the third-round tie.

"We did it after defeat against Arsenal, did it after we lost to Tottenham, after we went out of the Champions League - the boys have reacted well.

"I don't envisage anyone with any other mindset than we have to win. We enter the competition wanting to win.

"We have a few players with a few knocks, so there'll be a few changes, but I'll still field a team I feel confident in."

Odion Ighalo was drafted in as emergency cover a year ago following an injury to Marcus Rashford but his loan stint from Shanghai Shenhua comes to an end this month.

Solskjaer expects to give the striker game time against his former club, while he also offered an update on Argentine duo Sergio Romero and Marcos Rojo – both of whom are being tipped with January exits with their contracts to expire at the end of the season.

"It's special for him [Ighalo] against Watford, he will be involved," Solskjaer added.

"He's training really well, I don't know how many goals he scored today but by miles he was our top scorer in the round robin in training. 

"He's not lost sharpness or quality, it's difficult to be out of the squad of course. He did well until the summer. This season he's not had as many opportunities but he's never let himself down as a professional or a human being. 

"In training he always works hard. He's in the squad, hopefully I don't need to put him on to need goals but hopefully he can join in."

On Romero and Rojo, he added: "Both of them have contracts until the summer, they're not gonna be extended so we're looking for them to find clubs. 

"Marcos has been given time to go home, so he's still in Argentina. Sergio he has been back home as well to see family but he's back in England now. They're professionals, working hard and ready if they're called in for us. Marcos would have to travel in and do quarantine before."

Solskjaer, who confirmed Facundo Pellistri has tested positive for coronavirus but has not been involved with the first team, was asked about the worrying rise in COVID-19 cases across the Premier League.

The Norwegian acknowledged the growing concern for society but is keen for the competition not to be halted.

"First of all, you're worried what's happening in society and in and around the country," he said. 

"I personally feel safe within our bubble, I think we've taken all the steps that we've had to follow protocols, guidelines. The club have been good and the players are following the rules as well as they can. 

"Of course what's happening at different clubs and society is frightening, we have a duty to try and stay clear, stay within bubbles.

"I hope we can continue playing, I think it's [football] had a positive impact – I feel it as well at home when you don't have a game you're looking forward to watching football on the tele. The mental wellbeing of football has been a big positive, I think."

Barcelona must find their way past the minnows who embarrassed Atletico Madrid after being drawn to face neighbours Cornella in their Copa del Rey opener.

Ronald Koeman's Barca enter the competition at the last-32 stage and the record 30-time winners are sure to take Cornella seriously after their fellow Catalonians earned a 1-0 win over Atletico on Wednesday.

Cornella's Camp Municipal stadium is situated less than 10 miles away from Barcelona's Camp Nou, making it a dream draw for the Segunda B side.

Cornella are one of six teams from the Spanish third tier remaining in the competition and Real Madrid will face another of those in the form of Alcoyano, who beat LaLiga strugglers Huesca this week.

Athletic Bilbao face a trip to tackle Ibiza, while Real Sociedad will play Cordoba.

The lower-ranked sides will host the last-32 matches, which are to be played on January 16, 17, 20 or 21.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic and Sociedad have Supercopa de Espana commitments to tackle before turning their focus to the Copa del Rey, with that four-team tournament running from January 13-17.

Mikel Arteta knows how he wants to improve Arsenal's squad this month but warned the transfer market is "very complicated" in the current climate.

Julian Brandt is among the reported targets for the Gunners during the January window, although Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc insisted there had been "no offers at all" for the midfielder.

Arsenal boss Arteta this week revealed Mesut Ozil could be on the move after DC United and Fenerbahce were linked with the out-of-favour playmaker.

The London club allowed Sead Kolasinac to return to Schalke, but there has been very little transfer activity just over a week since the window opened.

Arteta would like to do get his business done early in the window, but in a week that saw Arsenal take a short-term £120million Bank of England loan due to the impact of the coronavirus crisis, the Spaniard is being realistic with his expectations.

Asked about the prospect of making early signings, he said ahead of the FA Cup third round tie with Newcastle United on Saturday: "I don't know. At the moment the market is really complicated and the situation around every club is not easy.

"To get the negotiations going it's not easy, it makes it harder because you can't be face-to-face and you cannot travel to another country to make that happen, it has to be on the phone or Zoom.

"It can go either way. I can tell you what I would like, with the players out and in sorted, but I think it's really complicated."

Arteta says it is important to understand that players may want to move on due to the pandemic.

He added: "It's affecting everything. It's affecting things transfers financially, it's also affecting some players who are here and they are stuck here for a year and realise 'I need to go back home, I need my family to be happy, to be next to me'.

"It's a bit of a mixture, but players are experiencing different feelings that probably are new to them and that's why I keep insisting this virus is about mental health as well as how you are feeling physically. Mental health is a big, big thing that we have to pay more attention to."

One player who has arrived at Arsenal is 19-year-old defender Omar Rekik, who joins the under-23 squad from Hertha Berlin.

Tate Russell's second-half thunderbolt ultimately proved crucial for Western Sydney Wanderers in their gutsy 2-1 A-League triumph at Newcastle Jets on Friday.

Wanderers, who earned a first win under boss Carl Robinson against his old club, led 2-0 thanks to Ziggy Gordon and Russell only for Nigel Boogaard to ensure a nervy finish at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Centre-back Gordon headed home James Troisi's seventh-minute corner to get Wanderers rolling.

The impressive Nicolai Muller, who finished with three shots, three key passes and 80.6 per cent pass accuracy, thought he had doubled the lead with a tremendous effort from range, only for Simon Cox (two shots, two key passes) to be ruled offside in the build-up by VAR.

Newcastle had their chances, but Thomas Aquilina somehow failed to make contact with Muller's teasing cross before the break.

Russell was far more clinical when he drilled in Cox's lay-off from the edge of the box just before the hour in an effort of sublime technique.

Boogaard headed the Jets back into the contest when he finished from Ramy Najjarine's assist, the winger proving a great creative force throughout (five chances created, three shots, 79.1 per cent successful passes).

The Jets peppered the visitors' goal from there on in but were unable to find a leveller and have started the campaign with two defeats. 

Denis Zakaria insists he has had no contact with any other club amid reports Bayern Munich are planning a move for the Borussia Monchengladbach prospect.

The 24-year-old midfielder is said to be high on the Bundesliga champions' list of targets for the 2021-22 campaign, with the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United having been linked with a move as well.

A knee injury sustained in March meant Zakaria did not play until November this season, and from seven Bundesliga appearances he has won 24 duels, five tackles, made two interceptions and regained 18 possession times.

His passing accuracy of 86.49 per cent suggests a level of comfort on the ball, which would be crucial at Bayern to allow more attack-minded players to flourish.

For now, though, Zakaria's focus is purely on maintaining his promising rise at Gladbach, with whom he has a contract until June 2022.

"I haven't talked to anyone about a transfer. I'm 100 percent focused on Gladbach and still have a year and a half left on my contract," Zakaria said to Sport1.

"I don't have a classic career plan. But I've dreamed of playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world since I was a young player. 

"To achieve that at some point, I have to work hard here in Gladbach. For now, I'm very happy at Borussia."

Last season, Zakaria regained posession eight times per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga, the best rate of any Gladbach player. 

If he were to join Bayern, Zakaria would play alongside Joshua Kimmich – someone he considers to be the benchmark for midfielders.

"He's just great. Kimmich is currently the best midfielder in the world," he added.

"It automatically raises your midfield to a top level. Of course I like to watch him."

Asked if he had a role model in the game, Zakaria pointed to a couple of prominent Frenchmen.

"I think Paul Pogba is great. My biggest idol used to be Patrick Vieira. He has had a world-class career. I am already emulating him a little," he said.

"But it's always clear to me: I want to be Denis Zakaria and not Pogba or Vieira. I want to put my own stamp on football."

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been hospitalised in Switzerland, his family have confirmed.

Blatter, 84, requires a period of rest but his condition is improving, according to daughter Corinne Blatter Andenmatten.

Swiss publication Blick has reported Blatter's condition is serious but stable.

"My father is in hospital," Corinne said.

"He is getting better every day. But he needs time and rest. On behalf of my family, I ask for privacy."

Blatter also spent time in hospital in 2015 and 2016 due to health problems.

The eighth president of FIFA resigned in 2015 amid a corruption scandal in football's governing body.

He was given an eight-year ban, reduced to six on appeal in 2016, over an alleged undue payment made to former UEFA president Michel Platini in 2011. Both men have maintained they committed no wrongdoing.

Last month, FIFA issued a criminal complaint over suspected "criminal mismanagement" in a museum project set up by Blatter.

Lorenz Erni, Blatter's lawyer, described the accusations as being "baseless and vehemently repudiated".

West Ham record signing Sebastien Haller has completed a move to Ajax for a cut-price fee of £20.3million (€22.5m).

The striker has agreed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Eredivisie giants, having previously enjoyed a spell in the Dutch top flight with Utrecht.

West Ham spent a reported £45m to bring Haller to England in July 2019 after he starred for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, scoring 19 goals in all competitions in 2018-19 as part of a formidable forward partnership with Luka Jovic.

However, his time in the Premier League proved largely disappointing, the 26-year-old scoring 14 times in 50 appearances in all competitions.

The Ivory Coast international was usurped by Michail Antonio as first-choice centre-forward under David Moyes and did not start a league match this season until October 31, when Antonio was struggling with injury.

"West Ham United would like to thank Sebastien for his contribution to the club and wish him all the best for his future career," the Hammers said.

According to reports, West Ham are interested in signing Lyon striker Moussa Dembele to bolster their attack, although the former Celtic forward is said to have little interest in a move to London Stadium.

Liverpool are reportedly interested in Sergio Ramos, while Real Madrid have a successor for Zinedine Zidane lined up.

Premier League champions Liverpool are linked with centre-backs due to long-term injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez.

And Ramos is apparently a target.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL INTERESTED IN RAMOS

Liverpool are interested in Real Madrid defender Ramos, according to El Chiringuito.

The 34-year-old's future at Madrid is uncertain with his contract expiring at the end of the season.

Also at Liverpool, Fabrizio Romano reports they are yet to open talks to sign Lille defender Sven Botman.

ROUND-UP

- Zidane was under pressure at Real Madrid earlier in the season, and the LaLiga giants have his replacement in mind. AS reports Raul – who is in charge of Real Madrid Castilla – is seen as the natural heir to the Frenchman.

- Christian Eriksen is expected to leave Inter, but just where to remains to be seen. CalcioMercato reports the Serie A giants are yet to receive an offer for the midfielder, who has been linked to Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.

- With Diego Costa having departed, Atletico Madrid are said to be looking for another forward. The Daily Mail reports Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik is at the top of their list, while Espanyol's Raul de Tomas and Real Betis' Loren Moron are of interest.

- Manchester City are linked to Barcelona star Lionel Messi, but they may have a younger version to target. talkSPORT reports the Premier League club are plotting a move for 17-year-old Estudiantes winger Dario Sarmiento, who has been dubbed "mini Messi".

- Sergio Romero looks set to leave Manchester United. The Manchester Evening News reports the goalkeeper has bid farewell to his team-mates ahead of an expected move to Boca Juniors.

Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc insisted there had been "no offers at all" for reported Arsenal target Julian Brandt.

Brandt, 24, has been linked with a move to the Premier League club in January.

But Zorc said no offers had arrived for the midfielder, who is contracted at Dortmund until 2024.

"I don't want to answer any rumours that were made by the media. Now there is permanently a name [Brandt] coined that we don't even think about giving up on," he told a news conference.

"Overall, we look at many different scenarios primarily due to an economical background that is simply not the best due to the ongoing pandemic.

"But I can only repeat myself again. We have no offers at all."

Dortmund, who are fourth in the Bundesliga, visit RB Leipzig on Saturday.

Jurgen Klopp says he has no problem with Liverpool not dipping into the transfer market in January as owners Fenway Sports Group are only acting in the best interests of the club. 

The Premier League champions have been badly depleted this season, particularly in the heart of their defence with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez long-term absentees and Joel Matip struggling to stay fit. 

Klopp is unlikely to add to his squad during the mid-season window, but the Reds boss understands it is difficult to do business at this time even without the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The Liverpool boss insists he is on the same page as club ownership, no matter the key absences that could undermine their push for trophies. 

"In good times everyone thinks our owners are really generous – 'My God, big signings, whatever’ – and in bad times everyone thinks they are really tight – maybe because they are from a different country – but they are not, they are absolutely concerned about the club and success of the club," Klopp said. 

"And that is an understanding how we have it. They see exactly the same things I see about necessity of players and stuff – it's not that I say 'By the way a centre-half would be really nice’ and they say, 'Wow, a centre-half. Really? Why?' 

"It is all clear, all on the table, we work on that. It is the situation and on top of that we have January, not the easiest transfer window, having not the money exactly like we want. 

"It is a window where other clubs say, 'No, we have enough [money] to survive' so we don't do anything on our targets. 

"It is nothing to do with worrying [about whether it will impact their chances of winning trophies] or not. These are the facts.

"My job is to deal with the circumstances which I always do. If the world would be in a completely normal place, we would try everything to do the right stuff now but the world is not in a normal place so I don't know why we constantly try to treat the football like it is independent of other issues around."

Liverpool are due to be in FA Cup action on Friday, though their tie with Aston Villa is in doubt due to a coronavirus outbreak in their opponents' camp.

Villa announced on Friday they had closed their training ground as a consequence, while the Football Association will make a decision on whether the game goes ahead following further testing.

Julian Nagelsmann has no intention of swapping RB Leipzig for Borussia Dortmund despite being suggested as a permanent successor to Lucien Favre. 

Leipzig boss Nagelsmann is considered one of the most promising coaches in European football and led his team to the Champions League semi-finals last season. 

The 33-year-old, who has a contract at the Red Bull Arena until 2023, has been touted as a candidate to take over Dortmund next season, with Edin Terzic having replaced Favre on an interim basis in December. 

However, Nagelsmann insists there is no need for anyone associated with Leipzig to worry about what the future holds because he intends to stay put. 

"There is no reason to be tense regarding Dortmund," Nagelsmann said ahead of a Bundesliga meeting with BVB on Saturday. 

"The situation with Dortmund has remained the same as it was during my time as Hoffenheim coach. There was and there is no match. 

"I am comfortable and I have big targets to achieve with Leipzig. As I said, there is no reason for anyone at RB Leipzig to get nervous regarding Dortmund."

Leipzig sit second in the Bundesliga table, six points ahead of fourth-placed Dortmund and two adrift of leaders Bayern Munich. 

Asked about Nagelsmann during a pre-match news conference on Thursday, BVB sporting director Michael Zorc said: "Despite his age, Julian has had a remarkable managerial career. With Hoffenheim, he was able to work sensationally well, now he's having a just as sensational season with Leipzig. 

"I believe, it is undisputed that he's a complete football expert. He always implements innovation into his coaching technique. He is always able to get his team to work well. 

"We need to try to fight against that on Saturday. We already came up against each other a few times and it's not like we had no success at all in these match-ups. 

"I see ourselves, also due to the position in the table, in the role of the hunter. We want to minimise the gap between us and to the top of the table."

Hansi Flick has told his Bayern Munich stars to show "a different attitude from the start" as he bids to achieve a feat only Pep Guardiola has achieved before.

On Friday evening, Flick can reach 100 points from his first 39 Bundesliga games in charge of the Bavarian giants, needing a win at Borussia Monchengladbach to hit that landmark.

But head coach Flick is unwilling to tolerate any repeat of the shaky first-half performance that saw his team trail Mainz 2-0 on Sunday, before turning the game around to register a 5-2 win.

Guardiola, who joined Bayern ahead of the 2013-14 season, brought up his century of points in the same number of games.

That saw Guardiola lead Bayern to a championship with 90 points before beginning the following season with three wins and two draws.

The Manchester City boss amassed 101 points from his first 39 Bundesliga matches, the first Bayern head coach to achieve a three-figure points haul so quickly.

Flick knows if he is to add an immediate three points to his current 97 points, the European champions will need to pull their weight.

"We have addressed it very clearly and want to go into the game with a different attitude and dynamic," Flick said on Thursday in a pre-match news conference.

"We want to be more present in the duels. We can't just hope for Manu [goalkeeper Manuel Neuer] at the back.

"We need a different attitude from the start. We have to show what we are capable of. The team have this mentality. Gladbach have high individual quality and great tempo."

Flick's side have scored 119 goals in their 38 league games during his tenure, winning 31 times, drawing four and losing only three times.

But there is no certainty they will get the better of Gladbach, having lost to the Foals in the first half of the season in each of the last three campaigns before winning the reverse game.

Indeed, Bayern have only won 13 of 52 previous away games against Friday's opponents, losing 21 times and drawing on 18 occasions.

Flick's recent record in Friday night games bodes well for Bayern.

They began this season with an 8-0 thrashing of Schalke on a Friday, and their previous Friday game was the 8-2 humbling of Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Bayern have won 16 of their last 20 Friday games in all competitions (D3 L1), Opta said.

The Football Association (FA) is still hopeful Aston Villa's meeting with Liverpool can go ahead as planned on Friday, with a final decision to be made after further coronavirus testing.

Villa announced on Thursday they had closed their Bodymoor Heath training ground after "a significant coronavirus outbreak" at the club, with first-team training cancelled after players and staff returned positive results.

Their FA Cup third-round clash with Premier League leaders Liverpool was consequently thrown into doubt, though it is hoped the fixture will not have to be postponed.

An FA statement read: "The Football Association and Aston Villa are working closely together to try to ensure that the club's FA Cup third round proper fixture with Liverpool can go ahead as planned at Villa Park.

"Final confirmation will be made tomorrow pending the results of additional COVID-19 testing."

It was announced earlier on Thursday that the third-round clash between Shrewsbury Town and Southampton would not go ahead on Saturday after "several" members of the League One side returned positive coronavirus results.

Derby County this week revealed they will select a side made up of Under-18 and Under-23 players for their tie at non-league Chorley on Saturday, with interim boss Wayne Rooney and his first-team squad staying at home following a coronavirus outbreak at the Championship club.