Euro 2020: England duo to miss game against Czech Republic
England's Ben Chilwell and Mason Mount are set to miss their Euro 2020 Group D game against Czech Republic on Tuesday. The duo are in isolation after coming into contact with Scotland's Billy Gimour, following the midfielder testing positive for COVID-19.
England took on Scotland in their second game of the group stage on Saturday, after which Gilmour tested positive for COVID-19. The midfielder's club-mates Ben Chilwell and Mason Mount were reportedly in close contact with the midfielder after the game and are now in isolation.
The rest of the England squad were tested earlier today, with no positive cases being found. An official statement from the England camp read:
"As a precaution at this time and in consultation with Public Health England, Ben Chilwell and Mason Mount are isolating after interaction with Scotland player Billy Gilmour.
The pair will be kept away from the rest of the England players and wider support team, pending further discussions with Public Health England.
The entire squad had lateral flow tests on Monday afternoon and all were again negative, as was the case with Sunday's UEFA pre-match tests.
We will continue to follow all COVID-19 protocols and the UEFA testing regime, while remaining in close contact with Public Health England."
It remains to be seen whether the England duo will take further part in Euro 2020.
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England need to win in order to qualify for the Euro 2020 knockout rounds
England are currently second in their Euro 2020 group, tied on 4 points with the Czech Republic. If Gareth Southgate's side do not manage to win on Tuesday, they could potentially finish third in the group.
This would be disastrous for an England side who have been touted as one of the favorites going into Euro 2020. The Three Lions will need to step up their performance against the Czech Republic following two unconvincing outings against Croatia and Scotland in their first two fixtures.
England managed to sneak past Croatia with a 1-0 win in their opening game of Euro 2020. But their second game in the group stage proved much harder, as the Three Lions put in a lackluster performance against a feisty Scotland side.
Tuesday's game against the Czech Republic is crucial to England's hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of Euro 2020.
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