Storm Dennis puts five Premier League games at risk as horror cyclone approaches UK

Posted Thursday, February 13, 2020 by Express.co.uk

Storm Dennis puts five Premier League games at risk as horror cyclone approaches UK
Storm Dennis is putting Premier League action under threat this weekend (Image: GETTY)

Storm Dennis is approaching the UK and could cause more chaos in the sporting world this weekend.

Storm Dennis is hurtling towards the UK as the Premier League braces itself for more weather issues this weekend. Last weekend saw Manchester City’s clash with West Ham fall victim to Storm Ciara, and now Dennis is on the warpath.

The latest storm has already been given a yellow warning for rain and wind for Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the Met Office claiming the UK will experience ‘severe’ conditions over the weekend.

It said: “There will be a chilly start on Friday with a frost in the north.

“But it will quickly turning mild and unsettled with spells of wind and rain or showers, these particularly severe over the weekend.”

Snow is also expected in some areas with one prediction website expecting up to eight inches in northern Scotland and a couple of inches in Cumbria.

This weekend’s Premier League action is spread between Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday with Wolves vs Leicester up first in the Midlands.

Southampton host Burnley on the south coast on Saturday before Liverpool travel to Norwich.

On Sunday Aston Villa host Tottenham and Newcastle travel to London to take on Arsenal, while the game of the round is Chelsea at home to Manchester United on Monday night.

All the matches, other than the Friday night clash, involve considerable travel for the teams and fans.

Last weekend’s City match was postponed over fears to fans safety getting to and from the ground, with West Ham having to travel up from London.

“Due to extreme and escalating weather conditions and in the interests of supporter and staff safety, today’s match has been postponed,” a statement on Sunday read.

“This decision has been made by Manchester City’s Safety Officer following consultation with Club stakeholders and officials at West Ham United.”

That game has now been rescheduled for Wednesday 19 February.

And fears are already being raised over the prospect of more postponements this weekend in the second half of the winter break.

The Premier League introduced the winter break this season to help players recover from the physical and mental strains of the gruelling season, staggering games across two weekends and allowing each club a weekend off.

However with FA Cup replays, and now postponements, that has become complicated.

Liverpool refused to send first team players to the cup replay with Shrewsbury and even Klopp stayed ahead leaving under-23 boss Neil Critchley in charge.

Now it is possible Klopp's players will get another weekend without action due to the worrying weather conditions approaching the UK.

Storm Dennis is the fourth named storm of the season and developed in the North Atlantic before heading eastwards over the next few days with a 72-hour blast expected.

60mph winds, and stormy rain is expected while snow will fall in some places.

Last week, with Storm Ciara, 20,000 people were left without power after 97mph winds and up to seven inches of rain.

If fixtures are postponed it could cause pile-ups towards the end of the season with clubs already stretched to the limit with cup and European competitions on the go as well.

Mike Riley, the Managing Director of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), has explained why matches may be called off.

"There are two main considerations to make when conducting a pitch inspection: player safety and the match as a spectacle," he said.

"A referee has to consider whether the playing conditions threaten the wellbeing of the players and whether they compromise the match as a spectacle for the fans."