Mikel Arteta confirmed Arsenal will be without Declan Rice when the Gunners face Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Just when Arsenal's injury crisis was slowly ending, Rice became the next player relegated to the sidelines. Despite playing all 90 minutes of the Gunners' 1–0 defeat to Newcastle United at the weekend, the midfielder is now unfit to travel and feature in Wednesday's Champions League clash.
In his pre-match press conference, Arteta revealed the England international is dealing with an injury to his foot.
"Declan picked up an injury against Newcastle," the Arsenal boss said. "He was able to finish [the match] and he wasn’t feeling good the last few days. We’ll have to assess him on Thursday and see if he’s ready for Chelsea.”
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Although the injury does not sound serious, losing Rice for any period of time is a blow to Arsenal. Even though his production in the early stages of the 2024–25 season has been underwhelming, he still is one of the team's best playmakers. The Gunners will especially miss his set piece deliveries against a disciplined Inter backline.
Looking ahead, Rice could also miss a trip to Stamford Bridge on Nov. 10, leaving Arteta's midfield shorthanded once again. Collecting all three points against Chelsea is vital to Arsenal's Premier League title hopes after falling to fifth in the standings.
The good news for Arsenal is that Martin Ødegaard returned to full training and traveled with the squad to Milan. The midfielder suffered a serious ankle injury while representing Norway on Sept. 9 and has been absent ever since. Without their captain, the Gunners dropped points to Atalanta in the Champions League and Manchester City, Bournemouth, Liverpool and Newcastle United in the Premier League.
The injury boost is only a silver lining, though, without Rice in the team.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Declan Rice Isn't Playing for Arsenal vs. Inter Milan in the Champions League.
