Four COVID-19 positives at Standard Liege ahead of Rangers clash
ByReuters
Published 22/10/2020 at 06:18 GMT
Oct 22 (Reuters) - Standard Liege players Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Nicolas Raskin and Moussa Sissako have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of Thursday's Europa League clash with Scotland's Rangers, the Belgian club said in a statement https://standard.be/fr/news/quatre-cas-positifs-covid-19-au-standard-de-liege.
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The club added that goalkeeping coach Jan van Steenberghe had also tested positive and the four were in quarantine along with Damjan Pavlovic and Abdoul Fessal Tapsoba, who were excluded from the playing group as a precaution.
Pavlovic and Tapsoba both tested negative but are awaiting results of a new test after coming into contact with Sissako.
"We're aware that in one week, the cases of coronavirus have exploded and we're no exception to the rule. The players are careful, whether at the club or outside, so we remain calm," Standard Liege manager Philippe Montanier told reporters.
"... We would have preferred to have the absent players with us but, as always, it's the group which we have at present which will have to make up for the absentees."
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard sympathised with Standard Liege but said that his players were gunning for a big victory in the Group D encounter.
"We're here to try to take maximum points. I think it would be a real big victory, but the players are going to have to work ever so hard to get that," Gerrard said.
"Standard Liege are a good team with a good coach. They have a real aggressive way with how they press and a strong pedigree in Europe with a strong home record." (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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