Arsenal go into their game against Brighton and Hove Albion this midweek with a cloud hanging over the fitness of Declan Rice, who was taken off early in the club’s previous Premier League fixture, against Chelsea.
And no, before you ask, it’s not because he hurt his arm when the ball hit it inside the box.
Instead, the injury appears to be his knee, which he is said to have tweaked during a sprint. Curiously, the player himself asked to be taken off the field to be checked out by medical staff, and he was duly removed by Arteta in the 76th minute of the game that Arsenal won 2-1.
When asked if Rice is OK during the Brighton & Hove Albion press conference, manager Mikel Arteta said: “I hope so. He was much better today. Obviously, we haven’t really trained because we have only two days to prepare for the game, so hopefully he’s going to be better tomorrow.”
This news will come as a tonic for Arsenal fans currently fearing a potential slip-up in the title race: across the last 5 games they have won just 3, with chasers Manchester City seemingly on an unstoppable run.
However, any absence of Rice in the side will come at a huge cost for Arsenal. He is their main set-piece taker, a key figure in how this team play, and already has 7 assists in the league this season for the north London team, as well as 4 goals.
Arsenal take on Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday 3 March at 2:30pm ET at the AMEX Stadium.
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