New COVID-19 cases threatening Tottenham's match vs. Leicester City on Thursday?

A COVID-19 outbreak among Tottenham Hotspur players and staff members caused the postponements of two games, a Thursday UEFA Europa Conference League match versus Stade Rennais and this past Sunday's Premier League fixture at Brighton & Hove Albion.

It was known last week that at least eight Tottenham players and five staffers tested positive for the coronavirus and also that this coming Thursday's league contest between the Lilywhites and Leicester City remained on as scheduled. However, Matt Law of the Telegraph (h/t Cartilage Free Captain) reports one new first-team Tottenham player tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday and also that the club's under-23 squad is dealing with "a large outbreak."

Along with this past weekend's game against Brighton, Tottenham had a match versus Burnley scrapped earlier this fall because of weather conditions. Despite that, any desires to avoid additional schedule disruptions could be overshadowed by the fact that head coach Antonio Conte may only have 13 senior players, "including two goalkeepers," available for selection for Thursday's game. 

Earlier on Monday, Manchester United confirmed the discovery of COVID-19 cases that are threatening their match against Brentford set for Tuesday. 

As the Omicron variant continues to spread throughout Europe, one wonders if any domestic league will consider temporarily shutting down before the end of the year. According to Sky Sports, the Premier League announced Monday that 42 players and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus in the past week alone.