Leipzig set for Union Berlin clash after latest negative tests

RB Leipzig are set to fulfil Friday's Bundesliga match away to Union Berlin after the club said the latest round of coronavirus PCR tests all returned negative after an outbreak at the club.

Tests carried out on Tuesday returned negative, the club said on Wednesday, and should a further round of quick tests also be negative the team will resume training.

Four quick tests returned positive on Tuesday and media reports said the local health authority was set to quarantine the team for five days should there be further cases.

Leipzig have been hit by 13 infections throughout their squad including head coach Jesse Marsch, goalkeeper captain Peter Gulacsi and various members of staff.

Gulacsi has resumed individual training after testing negative on Wednesday, Leipzig said, while defender Mohamed Simakan has returned to team training.

It was left open whether the pair would be in contention to play on Friday while Leipzig also did not update the status of Marsch.

Currently 5,000 fans are permitted to attend the match under proposed local rules which would also apply to the home games of Union's city rivals Hertha Berlin.

"With this rule there will not be full stadiums and the like," Berlin health minister Dilek Kalayci said of the measure set to be confirmed this week after Thursday's meeting between regional premiers and the federal government.

Leipzig played their last home match behind closed doors and many local authorities across the country are clamping down on stadium numbers.

Bavaria's state premier Markus Soeder wants football matches behind closed doors until the end of the year but last weekend Cologne hosted 50,000 fans allowed by North-Rhine Westphalia authorities.

However, it remains to be seen whether Saturday's table-topper between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, in the same region, will be played behind closed doors or with fans in attendance.

Dortmund said Wednesday they were cancelling already sold tickets for the game as a capacity reduction "could be counted upon" in the coming days.

A new ticket sale would start for the revised capacity "as soon as the political decision was made," the club added.

And Arminia Bielefeld also said they were halting sales of tickets for their weekend match with Cologne.