Editor's note: Since this article was published, Villa manager Steven Gerrard has tested positive for COVID and will miss the club's next two games.
Steven Gerrard is worried, and so are his players. The Aston Villa manager is taking almost hourly bulletins on how badly his squad has been affected by positive COVID-19 cases and whether he will have enough players -- 13 outfield players and a goalkeeper -- to meet the minimum requirement to fulfil a Premier League fixture.
Villa were forced to postpone last Saturday's game against Burnley just over two hours before kick-off because of a COVID outbreak at the club, and they may be severely depleted against Chelsea on Sunday, but the impact goes behind simply having a fixture called off.