Tottenham's Carabao Cup Clash With Leyton Orient Called Off Due to Positive COVID-19 Tests

Tottenham Hotspur's clash with Leyton Orient in the third round of the Carabao Cup has been called off after a number of players from the League Two club tested positive for the coronavirus.

Leyton Orient were due to welcome Spurs to the Breyer Group Stadium on Tuesday evening, but after a number of the League Two side's players tested positive for COVID-19, the tie was thrown into doubt.

Since the initial reports, it has appeared increasingly likely that the game could not feasibly go ahead. Now Leyton Orient have indeed confirmed on their official website that the match will not be played. According to EFL rules, Orient's inability to fulfil the fixture means the north London club will be given a free pass to the next round - even in the unusual circumstances.

But Leyton Orient make no mention of whether the fixture will be rearranged, with a brief statement reading: "Tonight's Carabao Cup match between Leyton Orient and Tottenham Hotspur is not taking place this evening as scheduled.

"Discussions are ongoing between the relevant stakeholders in regards to the implications of the fixture not taking place tonight and a further update will be provided in due course."

Considering Spurs' packed fixture schedule already, it would be challenging in the extreme to find a suitable date for the fixture to be played before the fourth round matches are held anyway.

After Orient's 2-2 draw with Mansfield on Saturday, Tottenham opted to pay for their opponents' first-team squad to be tested for COVID-19. While the club haven't specified how many players have returned positive results, it is understood that the figure stands above ten. While Orient could well miss out on the chance to progress to the next round, it is the players' health and safety which are the main priorities.

Should Tottenham be given a bye to the next round, they will take on either Chelsea or Barnsley. The fourth-round fixtures are set to begin on the week commencing 28 September. Before then, however, Jose Mourinho's men travel to take on Shkendija in the Europa League on Thursday before then hosting Newcastle on Sunday.

After a disappointing defeat to Everton on the opening weekend of the 2020/21 Premier League season, they bounced back to secure a late win over Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the Europa League second qualifying round before producing a convincing win over Southampton. Son netted four times as Spurs ran out 5-2 winners.