BARCELONA stars will be subjected to coronavirus tests at Naples airport on Monday and could be rushed to hospital after a surge of confirmed Italian cases of the virus.
The Catalan giants are travelling to Italy ahead of their Champions League Last 16 clash against Napoli on Tuesday night.
Lionel Messi and his Barcelona side will all be tested for coronavirus when they arrive in ItalyCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The deadly virus has spread to Italy with a number of infected patients being reported in the north of the country.
Although Naples is in the south, the precautions will be extended to the visiting Barcelona side led by Argentinian Lionel Messi.
ESPN sources indicate the Barcelona players will have their temperatures checked as medical officials look for any indication of a fever.
Any player who shows any sign of illness will be taken straight to hospital and Blaugrana manager Quique Setien will be desperate to avoid losing any of his players as the side begin their Champions League knockout campaign.
A number of Italian sporting fixtures were cancelled to prevent further outbreak.
Four of Sunday’s Serie A games were postponed: Inter Milan’s game against Sampdoria; Atalanta’s home game against Sassuolo; as well as Hellas Verona vs Cagliari and Torino vs Parma all were scrapped.
The Serie B game between Ascoli and Cremonesewas was also cancelled amid chaos in northern Italy.
The Lombardy area has seen a dramatic rise in cases and many surrounding towns have been effectively shut down as authorities are desperate to halt the spread of the virus.
Two people are reported to have died after contracting the deadly virus from China but concerns are mounting after a number of cases without any link to the source of the virus have developed.
Scotland women’s rugby union Six Nations clash against Italy – due to take place in Legnano – also fell foul of the virus.
Italian authorities have decided to cancel all sporting events in the Veneto and Lombardi regions.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
