Latest Arsenal injury news as Rice, Odegaard, Merino and Havertz updates for Chelsea
Declan Rice is facing a race against time to be fit for Arsenal's trip to Chelsea on Sunday. The 25-year-old missed Wednesday's trip to Inter Milan after picking up an injury against Newcastle last weekend.
It has since been reported that Rice suffered a broken toe at St James' Park but is determined to play through the pain barrier against Enzo Maresca's Blues. Rice has been included in the England squad for two Nations League fixtures against Greece and Republic of Ireland and there is optimism surrounding his condition.
However, Mikel Arteta admitted in his pre-match press conference that he doesn't know whether Rice will be fit enough for the game. He said: "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.
READ MORE:Mikel Arteta needs urgent Arsenal meeting with duo ahead of key Chelsea clash
READ MORE:Arsenal handed major pre-Chelsea boost as Premier League title race takes fresh twist
"[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."
One positive from the 1-0 defeat against Inter was the return of Martin Odegaard, who came on as a late substitute for his first appearance in over two months.
"Everybody that is in the squad is going to be fit and available to start the game, so then it will be a decision whether it is too early or the right moment for him to make that step again," Arteta said regarding Odegaard's involvement against Chelsea.
Arteta was also asked about Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino after both players went off against Inter. "We'll have to wait until tomorrow to see how they react," he said. "Kai had quite a nasty cut and he could not continue. With Mikel, to be fair the day before he wasn't feeling great and we decided to sub him at half-time."