Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is unsure whether defensive midfielder Declan Rice will be fit for Sunday’s London derby against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Arteta refrained from commenting on Rice’s injury but British reports suggest the 25-year-old England international has a broken toe, although he is still expected to feature in the clash against Chelsea.
Rice suffered the injury during Arsenal’s 1-0 Premier League defeat to Newcastle United last weekend, a match that lifted Arsenal to fifth in the league with 18 points from 10 games. Rice then missed Arsenal’s Champions League match against Inter Milan on Wednesday, which they also lost 1-0.
“I have to be very vague about that because there is no clarity whether he will be fit or not for the weekend. He has not trained yet and it is not yet clear whether he will be available,” Arteta told reporters on Friday, as quoted by Reuters.
Arteta also did not reveal whether Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will start on Sunday. The Norwegian midfielder, also 25, returned after a two-month absence as a substitute against Inter due to an ankle injury.
“Everyone in the squad will be fit and available to start the match. Then it’s a decision to see if it’s too early,” Arteta said, before discussing the availability of forward Kai Havertz and midfielder Mikel Merino.
“(We have to) wait to see how they react. Kai’s was a pretty nasty cut. Mikel wasn’t feeling great and we decided to substitute him at half-time (against Inter).”
Arsenal’s defeat to Newcastle leaves them seven points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool and five points behind second-placed Manchester City. Meanwhile, Chelsea are fourth, level with Arsenal on 18 points, but ahead on goal difference.
Despite recent setbacks, Arteta remains confident in his team’s trajectory and insists there is no need for a “reset” heading into the derby.
“I don’t think about that,” said Arteta when asked if another loss would mean the end of their title bid.
“Nobody works harder than me, I guarantee you that. We don’t need a reset. We need to go from 95 to 100 in one particular aspect. I won’t tell you what that is.
“We don’t need 100 points this season. We need perfection to keep winning.”
Arsenal and Chelsea will face each other at Stamford Bridge on November 10.
Published on:
November 9, 2024