Arsenal’s Declan Rice is pushing to feature in Sunday’s crucial clash against Chelsea, despite sustaining a broken toe during last Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Newcastle.
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The midfielder missed Arsenal’s Champions League tie against Inter Milan as a result. However, Rice has been called up to the England squad for upcoming Nations League matches, despite being unable to train recently due to the injury.
Reports indicate that Rice, though struggling to wear a boot on the injured foot, remains determined to play in the Stamford Bridge encounter.
Arsenal, now fifth in the Premier League and level on points with Chelsea, have experienced recent setbacks in the league, and this matchup holds significant importance for Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Arteta confirmed Rice’s injury, stating, “Declan unfortunately picked an injury against Newcastle… we’ll have to assess him on Thursday to see if he’s ready for Chelsea.”
The Inter Milan game saw Mikel Merino and Thomas Partey cover for Rice, with Merino involved in two first-half penalty incidents that stirred controversy.
After Merino’s heated exchange involving Yann Sommer, Arteta substituted him at half-time for precautionary reasons. Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard made a brief return after a three-month ankle injury layoff, signaling a gradual strengthening of Arsenal’s squad as they approach key fixtures.