Everton’s request to have their trip to Burnley postponed has been rejected.
Rafael Benitez’s side head into Sunday’s fixture at Turf Moor with five players sidelined by positive Covid-19 tests and a further six laid low through injury.
The Premier League have postponed two Boxing Day matches on Thursday due to outbreaks within the squads of Leeds United and Watford this week.
However the Blues’ plea for their game to be deferred was refused, despite Leicester City’s visit to Goodison Park being cancelled on similar grounds.
Benitez admitted he was bemused that the clash with the Clarets is still set to go ahead with his side having just nine senior outfield players available for it.
He said: “I was surprised that the game has not been postponed.
“We follow all of the rules, lateral flow tests, PCR tests, we even have three dressing rooms to spread out the players to make sure to reduce the time they are together.
“But what we cannot control is that, when you go to a game and a player is positive with no symptoms, he can pass the virus to the others.
“That’s what happened against Chelsea. We had to play some young players, and after the game we found that we had five positive cases.
“With the injuries and the positives that we have, we were expecting that the game would be postponed.
“Like in a lot of other games (to be postponed) to try and keep the integrity of the league, because you are losing so many players.
“Now I have to think about if I have 11 players fit and where I can put them, so I am really surprised that we are playing this game.
“The Premier League talk about the numbers (needed to play a game), 13 plus one keeper.
“But we have nine outfield players available plus three keepers, and after that we have to bring in five young players.
“It seems like they may have enough experience to play in the Premier League.
“But the reality is that some of these players, like Dominic Calvert-Lewin, have been out for two months.
“So we have players that have knocks and we have to push them, and we have to play players that maybe are not fit.”