Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice is set to miss Tuesday night’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa after suffering a knee injury at the weekend.
Declan Rice To Miss Arsenal vs Aston Villa Through Injury
Arsenal have been dealt another major injury blow, with star midfielder Declan Rice now likely to miss Tuesday night’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium.
Rice sustained a knee injury during the Gunners’ 2-1 win against Brighton on Saturday afternoon.
The England international, who started against the Seagulls at right-back, managed to feature for the entire 90 minutes despite the concern, providing fans with hope he’d be fit for Villa’s visit.
However, a report from The Athletic suggests the 26-year-old is ‘not ready’ to face the Villans.
He is set to be omitted from Arsenal’s matchday squad in order to avoid aggravating the issue.
A full injury prognosis is yet to be made, but his absence is expected to be a short-term one.
Arteta and his coaching staff are hopeful that Jurrien Timber, who missed the Brighton clash after picking up a knock, will be able to make his return against Villa to feature at right-back.
Ben White is also nearing a return after a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring problem.
Rice Injury Adds to Arsenal Woes
Elsewhere, Max Dowman (ankle) and Cristhian Mosquera (ankle) are both ruled out.
Riccardo Calafiori pulled out against Brighton after suffering a minor injury in the warm-up, and he remains doubtful, adding to the north Londoners’ woes across the back line.
Kai Havertz, meanwhile, has been out of action since mid-August but is nearing a return. He could be named in the matchday squad after being spotted on Arsenal’s pre-match walk.
His return would provide Arteta with a major boost ahead of a tricky fixture against Aston Villa, who head into the tie enjoying an 11-game winning streak across all competitions.
That run of wins includes a victory over Arsenal at Villa Park earlier this month.
Emiliano Buendia’s 95th-minute winner handed the Gunners just their second defeat of the campaign and their first since losing 1-0 to Liverpool on the final day of August.
Unai Emery’s side have since won a further three Premier League matches, most recently coming from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1, and are now just three points behind Arsenal in third.
They themselves are having to deal with a few absentees for the fixture, with Ross Barkley, Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings all missing out due to their respective injury concerns.
Evann Guessand is also unavailable, as he is away with the Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations, while both Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara are absent through suspension.
