Declan Rice FPL latest and injury update as Arsenal face nervous wait | Football | Sport
Arsenal are nervously awaiting news on whether Declan Rice will be fit to play against Bournemouth this weekend. The Gunners star missed the recently 4-1 victory over Aston Villa due to a knee injury sustained in the previous win against Brighton.
Rice played the entirety of the match against the Seagulls, but has not appeared for Arsenal since. Mikel Arteta provided an update on Rice’s condition during his pre-match press conference on Friday, ahead of the upcoming clash with Bournemouth.
Arsenal head into the match against Bournemouth with a four-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, and it remains uncertain whether Rice will be fit for the trip to the Vitality Stadium. Here, Express Sport assesses Rice’s likelihood of being able to participate in Arsenal’s match against Bournemouth this weekend.
What has been said about Rice’s injury?
Arteta was quizzed about whether he regretted allowing Rice to play the full 90 minutes during Arsenal’s win over Brighton. Despite appearing to indicate discomfort around the 60-minute mark, the midfielder managed to finish the match.
“No, no, no. He [Rice] managed to do it. That’s normal sometimes,” Arteta responded. “You get a hit, and throughout the game you are able with adrenaline, and because you are warm, you are able to sustain that.
“And then the body reacts, and it reacted probably more than we expected, unfortunately. And that’s where we are.”
Will Rice be ready to take on Bournemouth in Gameweek 20?
Fantasy Premier League (FPL) has given Rice a 50 percent likelihood of being fit to play for Arsenal against Bournemouth. Consequently, it remains unclear whether Rice will recover in time to be included in the Gunners’ squad for their away match against the Cherries.
“We have another session today, let’s see how he comes today and how that’s feeling, but [the Villa game] was too early for him,” Arteta stated. In other news, Cristhian Mosquera, Riccardo Calafiori and Max Dowman have all been declared unfit for Arsenal’s match against Bournemouth.
