Arsenal will be without Declan Rice for Tuesday night’s game against Aston Villa, with the midfielder still likely to miss the next game as he deals with a knee injury.
Mikel Arteta has admitted Arsenal talisman Declan Rice is not certain to return for Saturday’s game against Bournemouth after missing out on Tuesday night’s 4-1 win over Aston Villa.
The England midfielder missed the game against the Emirates late, but his absence hasn’t stopped the Gunners. However, the fixtures remain tense for the Premier League leaders and they may have to continue without Rice in the short term.
The former West Ham star has been struggling with a knee injury, although he did play the full 90 minutes against Brighton earlier this week. Arteta refused to give firm guarantees that he would return in the coming days, insisting that the swelling needs to go down for him to have any chance of returning.
The doctor said: “It depends. The swelling has to go down quickly for him to have a chance of functioning. He wasn’t able to do that yet today. He’s getting better, but we’ll see what happens in the next few days.”
Rice has been an integral part of Arsenal’s side and has earned a reputation as one of the best players in the world in his position. However, the Gunners’ depth in the squad avenged their loss earlier this month by defeating Aston Villa 4-1.
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Former Real Sociedad colleagues Mikel Merino and Martin Zvimendi combined in the middle of the pitch to help Arsenal extend their lead at the top of the table. The latter scored his team’s second goal after receiving a through ball from Martin Odegaard.
Arteta continues to invest in the squad and has seen a number of impressive players arrive in the summer. This means Arsenal are well-prepared to deal with the injury setbacks they showed on Tuesday night, with the Spaniard insisting everyone in the playing group must pull together and stay focused as they prepare for an unrelenting fixture list.
“It’s a belief and it’s an energy, because they’ve put in a lot of effort,” he said. “We play a game every two-and-a-half days, we have a very tough schedule, we have some very tough games and injuries, but the guys are still winning, so winning helps everything.
“All the sacrifices and dedication you’ve made are reflected in the results and great performances, which is very satisfying, but we know we still have a lot to play for. It’s definitely a great way to end the year. Tomorrow we’ll have a good night with our families, but the next day we have to go to Bournemouth and we know what that means.”
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