Declan Rice has travelled with the Arsenal squad for Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth.
The influential midfielder picked up a sore knee injury during a stint as an emergency right back against Brighton & Hove Albion and was forced on to the sidelines for the 4–1 thumping of Aston Villa, struggling more without Rice than the scoreline might suggest.
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Ahead of the Bournemouth game, manager Mikel Arteta left the door open to a potential return for Rice, insisting a final decision would be made after Friday’s training session.
While the full verdict on Rice’s fitness will likely only be revealed closer to kick-off, the 26-year-old has, at least, travelled with the squad down to the Vitality Stadium.
Rice joined the rest of the Arsenal squad on their pre-match walk on Saturday morning, suggesting a potential return could be on the cards—unless this is simply the latest in a long list of mind games from the Spaniard.
Arsenal head into Saturday’s game sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table, their advantage stretched to four points after Manchester City’s surprise draw with Sunderland in midweek.
On each the five previous occasions in which Arsenal have started the new year as league leaders, they have failed to go on and win the title. 2008, 2014, 2016, 2022 and 2023 have all seen the Gunners surrender their starting spot as title favourites.
It’s a streak which has only ramped the pressure up on Arsenal each and every year, but Arteta believes the squad are ready to change the narrative.
“Let’s break it,” he said of the unfortunate run.
“That’s what the players transmit every single day when they’re with us, training, and in every match. You can see their desire. You can see the energy that they put in, and how much they want it.
“There are still five months to go. Let’s take it day-by-day, enjoy that process of being where we are, and go for it.”
