Arsenal could be without Declan Rice for Wednesday night’s Premier League clash against Brighton and Hove Albion, with the midfielder an injury concern for the game.
In what is a quick turnaround for Mikel Arteta and his squad, the Gunners travel down to Brighton on Wednesday night (7:30pm kick-off) as they look to take another step toward the Premier League title.
The match comes just three days after the Gunners recorded a crucial 2-1 win over rivals Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Goals from William Saliba and Jurrien Timber earned Arsenal the three points, which saw them maintain their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.
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That game did, however, provide Arsenal with an injury worry over key midfielder Rice. Here, football.london takes a look at the latest on the potential availability of the 27-year-old.
What has been said about Rice’s injury?Rice was taken off in the second half of Sunday’s win over Chelsea, making him a doubt for the clash against Brighton just three days later.
Arteta gave an update on Rice at a pre-match press conference on Tuesday. When asked if Rice is OK, Arteta replied: "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.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arteta said: “Declan has to be substituted so he's going to have to get checked and see if he's available for Wednesday, unfortunately.”
He will join club captain Martin Odegaard as a doubt for the game. The fellow midfielder missed the match against Chelsea.
“Unfortunately, Martin is still not feeling totally comfortable with that knee injury, and we decided not to risk him,” Arteta said ahead of the Chelsea clash.
Will Rice be fit to face Brighton in Gameweek 29?
Fantasy Premier League rates Rice’s chance of being fit for the game at 75 per cent, which may ease the worries of both Arsenal fans and FPL managers who have him in their teams.
So far this season, Rice has missed just one Premier League game through injury. Arsenal came out as 4-1 winners over Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium back in December, with Rice missing due to a knee problem.
Mikel Merino replaced him for that game. However, injuries in the squad meanChristian Norgaard is likely to be the most likely replacement against Brighton should Rice be unavailable.
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