Mikel Arteta has provided an injury update on three key players ahead of Arsenal's crunch weekend derby clash against rivals Chelsea. The Gunners boss finds himself in the unfamiliar territory of trailing the Blues in the Premier League standings with Enzo Maresca guiding his Chelsea squad to a surprise fourth place ahead of Sunday's contest.
Arsenal are currently enduring a torrid run of form, winless in their last three Premier League outings with losses coming against Bournemouth and Newcastle, while they also suffered a midweek Champions League defeat against Inter Milan. Injuries to key players have been cited as a major reason for Arsenal's drop-off that has seen some doubt the club's Premier League title ambitions.
Midfielders Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino are all doubts ahead of Arsenal's upcoming trip to Stamford Bridge and Arteta has now addressed their chances of featuring against Chelsea.
Rice missed the midweek defeat against Inter Milan after suffering a foot injury against Newcastle in their latest Premier League outing and Arteta is remaining coy on his chances of playing on Sunday.
'I have to be very vague on that one because there's no clarity if he's going to be fit on the weekend,' the Arsenal boss said.
'He hasn't trained yet and it's not clear if he'll be able to play,' added Arteta.
Summer acquisition Merino has also been dealing with a head knock after coming off at half time at the San Siro following a clash with Milan goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Commenting on the pair's fitness, Arteta said: 'We will have to wait to see how they react.
'Kai had a nasty cut so we had to take him off. With Mikel he wasn't feeling great the day before so we had to sub him at half time.'
The positive news for Arsenal supporters is the return of captain Martin Odegaard who is available for Premier League selection for the first time since suffering a long-term injury in August.
'Everybody in the squad will be fit and available to start the game. Then it will be a decision on whether to start the game.'
Declan Rice has picked up an injury at the worst time for Arsenal. It's not that the team doesn't have worthy depth to replace the England international for the time being, but fans haven't seen the preferred midfield three start a game this season. For a team needing a result this weekend to stay afloat in the title race, consistency in midfield, let alone defense and attack, is desperately needed.
Whether it's been Mikel Merino, captain Martin Ødegaard, or now Rice, Arsenal hasn't had its midfield three fully fit to start a game. The former two have returned, but are question marks for the game against Chelsea this weekend.
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, isn't divulging much in terms of Rice's injury and recovery timeline. “I have to be very vague on that one because there’s no clarity on whether he’s going to be fit for the weekend.”
“[Whether he has a broken toe is] for the doctor, what I can say is that he hasn't trained yet and it is not clear whether he’s going to be available or not to play.”
Not only is it uncertain how long Rice could be out for, but it's also apparently uncertain based on the manager's words if he has a broken toe or not. Remaining tactically vague in injury updates isn't new for the Spaniard. Bukayo Saka's availability in October against Liverpool was kept under wraps.
If Rice can't go, Thomas Partey is the clear option to step into midfield as long as Arsenal can start a relatively preferred backline. Partey has deputized at right-back this season given injuries to Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber. The Ghanaian has seen a rise in form after a slow start to the season, so he should be the go-to option. Question marks surround Arteta's 4-4-2 that he's deployed recently, so he'll either be part of a pivot or the sole anchor.
If Arteta needs to play Partey elsewhere, or Merino isn't available, Jorginho can also come into the squad as he's done numerous times for Arsenal in the past. He and Rice were Arsenal's preferred pairing when Partey was injured last season.
Once more, Mikel Arteta faces an anxious wait to see just how many of his squad will be available to play. It is a common theme that has plagued the season to date and threatens to see Arsenal fall away if results don't turn.
Luckily for Arteta, Manchester City are struggling - losing four in a row in all competitions for the first time since 2006 after squandering a 1-0 lead away to Brighton on Saturday. Unfortunately, the task at hand is far from simple for the Arsenal head coach.
Although he boasts a mightily strong record at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are a team playing with a fair degree of confidence after starting the campaign well under Enzo Maresca. Like Arteta, though, Maresca has a big Cole Palmer-sized injury worry to contend with.
Arsenal, who have just seen Martin Odegaard return to the matchday squad after two months away, know how it feels. Ahead of Sunday's crucial Premier League meeting, there are more problems at play.
Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino both picked up head injuries in the 1-0 loss to Inter on Wednesday. Both players have had a matter of days to recover but nothing more.
“We will have to wait to see how they react,” Arteta explained on Friday of the pair. “Kai had a nasty cut so we had to take him off. With Mikel he wasn't feeling great the day before so we had to sub him at half time.”
If that leaves much to be decided late on for the journey across London to SW6 then Declan Rice is in the same camp. He didn't even travel to Inter for Champions League duty after picking up a knock against Newcastle.
Rice was a surprise absentee from midweek training and hasn't had much time since to return to fitness. “I have to be very vague on that one because there's no clarity if he’s going to be fit on the weekend,” said Arteta. “He hasn't trained yet and it's not clear if he'll be able to play.”
The only good news is that Arteta has been firm with his squad selection outside of this. “Everybody in the squad will be fit and available to start the game,” he added when asked if Odegaard was now ready to go straight into Premier League action. “Then it will be a decision on whether to start the game.”
Raheem Sterling will not be one of those up for selection as he is ruled out due to being on loan from Chelsea. Arsenal's defence, for once, is in good shape.
Goalkeepers: David Raya, Neto
Defenders: Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko
Midfielders: Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Jorginho, Martin Odegaard, Ethan Nwaneri, Mikel Merino, Miles Lewis-Skelly
Attackers: Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard
