The Premier League has “contingency” plans for staging Leicester’s home fixture with Crystal Palace given the enforced local lockdown in the city.

Leicester are scheduled to host Palace on Saturday but a spike in coronavirus cases has seen stricter lockdown measures imposed in the city.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the game could be moved or postponed to a later date if needed.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the game will go ahead.

But he did not state where and Masters said the Premier League must be “cautious and careful” in light of the UK’s first local lockdown.

Masters said: “If what is happening in Leicester, we are waiting to hear, does affect the club’s ability to host home games, either this Saturday against Crystal Palace or subsequent matches, then we have contingency to put those matches elsewhere or postpone them until a date when it is safe to do so.

“Of course contingency plans are discussed and part of our overall planning.

“I am yet to understand what the impact of the partial lockdown in Leicester is going to have on the club but clearly it demonstrates the fragile project we have on here. We cannot take it for granted.”

Leicester, third in the Premier League, travel to Everton on Wednesday before the visit of Palace.

Speaking about the coronavirus spike in the city, Hancock said Leicester had “10% of all positive cases in the country over the past week”.

Non-essential shops have shut, and schools will close for most pupils on Thursday. The loosening of restrictions for pubs and restaurants in England on Saturday will also not be taking place in the city.

On Monday, the Premier League announced there was one positive result for coronavirus from 2,250 tests in its latest round of testing at clubs.

Racing goes ahead in Leicester

Racing was also cleared to go ahead in Leicester on Tuesday despite the stricter lockdown measures.

An evening meeting with nine races was scheduled to take place behind closed doors from 16:40 BST.

The racecourse is about three miles from the city centre, in Oadby – which is one of the suburbs covered by the new restrictions.

The British Horseracing Authority said: “Following confirmation from local health authorities that the race meeting should go ahead, the fixture at Leicester will take place today.

“The fixture will be held behind closed doors and with the existing strict health screening and social distancing measures in place.”

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