Declan Rice will miss Arsenal’s clash against Aston Villa on Tuesday evening with a knee injury, the Daily Mail understands.
Rice hurt his knee in the 2-1 win against Brighton on Saturday although he was able to play on.
However, the 26-year-old midfielder is expected to be left out against Unai Emery’s side to avoid any risk of aggravating his injury.
Medical staff had tried to prepare him for this game but he is now anticipated to be a short-term absence.
It is a major blow going into a clash which could, in extreme circumstances, see Mikel Arteta’s side unseated at the top of the Premier League.
Arsenal are only three points ahead of Villa, who have won 11 consecutive games in all competitions, though the Gunners’ goal difference is superior by 12.
Declan Rice will miss Arsenal’s match against Aston Villa tonight with a knee injury
He suffered the blow in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Brighton on Saturday, though he played on
They are hoping to be boosted by the return of Jurrien Timber, who was left out of the Brighton clash as a precautionary measure, and potentially the return of Ben White.
It will be a peculiar sight to see Arsenal playing without Rice simply because he has a phenomenal fitness record.
He has only missed three Premier League matches since joining from West Ham for £100million in 2023.
His record of availability was similarly brilliant with the Hammers.
Across his final five seasons with the club, when he was a first-team regular, he only missed 13 Premier League games in total – and that includes absences for pure selection reasons.
Arteta will be hoping his side can stay fit as he prepares for the second half of the season, when Manchester City are known to pick up their form.
Arsenal recently welcomed back Gabriel Jesus after his long-term ACL injury but they are still missing Kai Havertz, Cristhian Mosquera, Riccardo Calafiori, Max Dowman, and potentially Timber and White.
