Several Premier League and English Football League matches are at risk of being postponed this weekend due to severe snow and ice across the United Kingdom.
Storm Larisa has already battered parts of the British Isles and is expected to continue later on Friday and into Saturday as gales and blizzards blast through the country. The Met Office has issued amber warnings for northern England, the Midlands and north Wales, where "significant disruption" to transport and power supplies is anticipated.
Four yellow warnings for snow also cover large parts of the UK except for south-east England and western Scotland. Meteorologist Alex Burkill claimed the worst of the weather is expected in north Wales and northern England, where "gusts of easily 50mph" are on a collision course with "30 to 40cm of snow".
The storm could have huge ramifications on the football calendar over the weekend, with a full fixture list scheduled across the top four divisions.
While a number of grounds in the country are well-equipped to deal with snowfall, the same is not true of the streets near stadiums. It has been the case in the past that road surfaces have caused postponements, with fans unable to safely make their way to games.
In the Premier League, there are fears about Leeds' clash with Brighton on Saturday. The West Yorkshire city has been hit hard with snow and ice in the past couple of days - and significant disruption is expected as several schools and business shut their doors on Thursday and Friday.
Leicester's game against Chelsea is another that could be impacted. There has been plenty of snow in Leicestershire and with temperatures set to reach a low of -6c overnight, this could turn into ice heading into Saturday morning.
Snow also swept through Merseyside on Thursday evening which has led to concerns over Everton's clash against Brentford at Goodison Park. Heavy snow has caused Merseyrail cancellations, school closures and travel disruption across Liverpool.
As for the Championship, Coventry's clash with Hull could be off. Hull Live reported that given the huge snowfall in the Midlands, the game has been plunged in doubt, although no cancellation has been confirmed as of Friday morning.
There are a number of matches in the EFL that will take place in the north of England, where snow and ice is expected to be at its worst. Burnley saw their game against Tottenham called off at the eleventh hour due to snow in November 2021 and face Wigan at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Sheffield has been struck with a blizzard of snow and United are due to take on Luton, while there are worries about Bolton's clash against Ipswich and Doncaster's home game against Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, the first EFL game to be postponed came in League Two as Leyton Orient's clash with Mansfield was called off following a pitch inspection at the One Call Stadium on Friday morning.
CONFIRMED: Postponed Matches
- Mansfield Town vs Leyton Orient
