Mikel Arteta has cast doubt on Declan Rice‘s involvement when Arsenal face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, and is also unsure whether Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz or Mikel Merino will be fit to play.
The Gunners are going through an unusually difficult slump, recently losing to Bournemouth and Newcastle in the Premier League before losing 1-0 to Inter in the Champions League.
Liverpool also emerged from a recent visit to the Emirates Stadium with a well-deserved point, although Arsenal’s drop in form coincided with a worrying number of injuries to key players.
Bukayo Saka has spent time on the sidelines, alongside Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu, who has played just six minutes of Premier League football in 2024/25.
Captain Odegaard has missed two months of action due to an ankle injury and returned as a substitute against Inter on Wednesday, while Rice missed that match due to a toe problem. As for Havertz and Merino, they were withdrawn at San Siro due to a blow to the head and an illness respectively.
“I have to be very vague about it because it is not clear if he will be fit for the weekend,” Arteta told reporters, when asked if Rice would be available for the clash with Chelsea.
“[Whether he has a broken toe is] What I can say about the doctor is that he has not yet trained and it is not clear whether or not he will be available to play.”
The Spaniard was more optimistic about a possible start for Odegaard in west London, saying: “Everyone who is in the team will be fit and available to start the game, so it will then be a decision whether it is too soon or it is the moment.” right time for you to take that step again.
“We will have to wait until tomorrow to see how they react,” he concluded when asked about the status of Havertz and Merino. “Kai had a pretty bad cut and couldn’t continue. With Mikel, the truth is that the day before he wasn’t feeling very well and we decided to replace him at half-time.”
Chelsea have their own injury problems ahead of Arsenal’s visit, with Cole Palmer struggling with a knee problem he suffered at Manchester United, but are in better spirits than the Gunners in terms of results – Thursday’s crushing win by 8-0 over Noah in the League Conference. Building on an impressive start to the Premier League season that has seen Enzo Maresca’s side move ahead of Arsenal in fourth place.
