Tranmere Rovers have been hit by a Covid outbreak in their squad ahead of the home match against Barrow AFC on Boxing Day.

Manager Micky Mellon confirmed today that potentially as many as four players could have tested positive, causing disruption to the team's preparations.

As a result, the team's work on the training ground this week has been severely limited.

Speaking in a Christmas Eve press conference, Mellon said: "We've got some Covid issues. There will be people ruled out, I don't really want to speak about that yet, but there will be people who won't play.

"That's just the way things are at the minute. The boys that have it today will have more tests tomorrow. Hopefully they're going to be OK."

Rovers are already without striker Paul Glatzel and defender Nat Knight-Percival, who have been missing with hamstring issues.

Both are now back on the grass, with Glatzel slightly further ahead in his rehabilitation and expected to train for the first time with the main group tomorrow.

Rovers will head into the match in fine league form, having won four of their last five matches - a run that has moved them back into the playoff positions and just a point behind the automatic promotions places.

In contrast, the Bluebirds are currently struggling at the other end of the table, with just one victory in their last five league outings.

Rovers will be hoping for a high turnout at Prenton Park on Boxing Day, more so given that both Everton and Liverpool have now had their own fixtures postponed due to Covid, which may lead to some more Merseysiders heading to Birkenhead in search of a festive football fix.

Speaking about Rovers' current run of good league form, Mellon added: "We're in a great position and we worked very hard to get into this position.

"There's always stuff that we can improve on and there's stuff that we're doing very well in order to get results.

"It's all about keeping that consistency. It's a tough time in the season, we're getting to halfway now. It's important that you keep chalking off the victories and finding a consistent way of doing that.

"That's what we're trying to do at the moment."

Tranmere Rovers v Barrow AFC kicks off at 3pm on Boxing Day at Prenton Park.

The club offers affordable live football for families, with children's tickets just £2. Purchase tickets at trfctickets.co.uk or in-store on the day.