'It is lunacy that we are having to play two games in 48 hours'

Dean Smith is frustrated about the festive fixture schedule in the current climate.

The Norwich boss expects to have about 16 players available for training on Friday and is concerned his squad isn't robust enough to play twice in two days.

"We all know that there is a tradition with the festive scheduling and it is difficult normally, but it is nigh on impossible to ask players to play twice in 48 hours and I, at the moment, don’t know how we are going to do it.

"We have got a lot of players coming back - some from Covid-19 cases, some from injuries - and we are having to push rehab forward and people are breaking down because of that.

"It is asking massive questions of everybody’s squads at the moment and it is lunacy that we are having to play two games in 48 hours. There has got to be a question about the integrity of the competition when teams are playing weakened teams against other teams and it is affecting league positions.

"We had it the other day against Aston Villa and I blame myself for not pushing to get the game called off because we shouldn’t have played.

"I had four players pull out on the day of the game. I had three players on the bench who I couldn’t put on and we ended up bringing on a player who hadn’t played for 22 months after 43 minutes. Thankfully, Sam Byram got through the game, but we are in a dangerous situation where we are risking the health and well being of the players."