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Mikel Arteta confirmed that Declan Rice was unable to participate in the final training session ahead of Wednesday's Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Sporting CP at the Emirates.
Rice sustained a knock during Arsenal's disappointing 2–1 loss to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon, gutting out the full 90 minutes despite the injury. There is a genuine concern about further damage to Arteta's key midfielder, who notably sat out the open training session on Tuesday.
"We have to wait and see how he is tomorrow," Arteta cautioned. "He wasn't able to train."
Rice is far from the only fitness worry Arsenal are managing.
Declan Rice
Arteta declined to disclose the exact nature of Rice's problem. "I don't want to do that," he said curtly. The Arsenal manager did acknowledge that an awkward landing against Bournemouth was "part of the issue," with a heavy schedule of matches also contributing.
"He's played a lot of games," Arteta reflected. "That is part of the issue, but he's going to try and do everything he can to be with us, that's for sure."
Thomas Tuchel noted during the international break that Rice had been functioning at just 70% fitness for "quite a while," pushing through discomfort far more than the England boss would prefer. "I'm not willing to take this risk for my key player," Tuchel pointedly stated.
Arteta appears prepared to gamble with Rice's long-term wellbeing for immediate results. However, with Sunday's high-stakes Premier League showdown against Manchester City looming, it remains unclear which fixture Rice will be risked for.
Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka departed England's March international camp alongside Rice but, unlike his teammate, has yet to make a meaningful comeback. Arteta suggested on Tuesday that the winger would be back in "days not weeks," though he stopped short of giving a specific timeline.
"It's something he was carrying for a while. It was an Achilles issue," Arteta disclosed, characterizing his condition as showing "progression." "It's about loading more and see where he's at."
Martin Odegaard
Martin Ødegaard was ruled out of Saturday's home fixture against Bournemouth with what Arteta called a "niggle." The lack of creativity and invention that the playmaker typically provides was glaringly obvious in a tightly contested match that Arsenal ultimately lost convincingly.
The Norway skipper has been a regular visitor to the treatment room of late. Having also missed Tuesday's training session, his availability for the midweek fixture remains highly uncertain.
Jurrien Timber
Jurriën Timber was present at the Emirates to watch Arsenal fall to Bournemouth but was not included in the matchday squad. When asked about his fitness while moving freely through the mixed zone, the Dutch defender carefully said: "It's recovering, we'll see. I can't say but I am recovering."
That recovery was insufficient for Timber to feature in Tuesday's open training session, which could push Ben White back into the starting lineup. The reluctant England international has featured in Arsenal's last five matches, losing three and visibly struggling throughout this month's outings.
Riccardo Calafiori
Riccardo Calafiori surprisingly missed Arsenal's weekend league match and was also absent from their most recent open training session. Any extended spell on the sidelines would be a significant blow.
The dynamic and unpredictable defender brings a vital element of spontaneity to an Arsenal side that has become increasingly predictable.
Mikel Merino
The one confirmed absentee for Arsenal is Mikel Merino. Regardless of Arteta's usual injury-related mind games, there is absolutely no prospect of the Spanish midfielder featuring midweek or potentially at any point before the season concludes.