Rice a doubt for Arsenal’s trip to Chelsea, says boss Arteta

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is uncertain whether defensive midfielder Declan Rice will feature in Sunday’s Premier League London derby against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
While Arteta did not disclose any details on the 25-year-old England international’s injury, British media reported that Rice has a broken toe but is expected to play against Chelsea.
Having picked up the injury during Arsenal’s 1-0 Premier League defeat at Newcastle United last weekend, Rice missed their trip to Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday which they lost by the same scoreline.
“I have to be very vague on that one because there is no clarity, if he is going to be fit or not for the weekend. He hasn’t trained yet and it is not clear yet whether he is going to be available,” Arteta told reporters on Friday.
The Spaniard remained tight-lipped if captain Martin Odegaard would return to the starting lineup. The Norwegian midfielder, 25, came off the bench against Inter at the San Siro after two months on the sidelines due to an ankle injury.
“Everybody that is in the squad will be fit and available to start the game. Then it is a decision to see if it is 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 quite a nasty cut. Mikel wasn’t feeling great and we decided to substitute him at halftime (against Inter).”
Arsenal’s loss to Newcastle left them fifth in the Premier League standings with 18 points from 10 matches, seven points behind leaders Liverpool and five fewer than second-placed Manchester City.
Chelsea sit fourth with the same number of points as Arsenal but a better goal-difference.
But while Arsenal have hit a slump heading into the weekend, Arteta believes they don’t need a reset.
“I don’t think about that,” Arteta said 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. In one particular aspect we need to go from 95 to 100. I will not tell you what that is.
“It will not require 100 points this season. It will require perfection to keep winning.”