Declan Rice says Arsenal “ready” for Chelsea but is he fit? | OneFootball

Declan Rice says Arsenal are ready to face Chelsea this weekend, despite a poor run of form and doubts over his individual fitness.

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND: Declan Rice of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Arsenal FC at St James’ Park on November 02, 2024. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Arsenal and Declan Rice have hardly had the ideal preparation for Sunday’s match against Chelsea, with the Gunners on both a three-game winless run in the Premier League and a three-game winless run in all competitions.

Rice didn’t feature against Inter Milan on Wednesday, due to a foot injury, and there are doubts over whether he’ll be fit to play on Sunday too.

Yet speaking to Freddie Ljungberg for Arsenal.com, Rice suggested the prospect of a London derby will help inspire the team to get a result.

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND: Declan Rice of Arsenal runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Antoine Semenyo of AFC Bournemouth during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Arsenal FC at Vitality Stadium on October 19, 2024. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

“We’re ready,” Rice said. “It’s a massive game. Every time you play a London derby, it speaks for itself what it means. You never want to lose one of them.

“Last season we had good results in our London derbies and it’s going to be important for us this season as well. We know as a group of players what we can do on the football pitch.

“We can get three points, go out there and play well. It’s about doing it on the day. Chelsea are a really good team so we have to earn it, go out there and give it everything.

“I’m sure after the recent run of results we’re going to be up for it. We’re not going to need any extra fire to go out there. We know what we need to do.”

LONDON, ENGLAND: Declan Rice of Arsenal is injured during the pre-season friendly match between Arsenal and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Emirates Stadium on August 07, 2024. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

As for Rice’s chances of featuring in the match, Mikel Arteta wasn’t giving anything away in his pre-match press conference.

“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,” Arteta said.

“[Whether Rice 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.”

Sami Mokbel confirmed for the Daily Mail on Thursday that Arteta was set to make a late decision on Rice’s availability, and that the player could still play against Chelsea.

The midfielder has also been included in the England squad for the upcoming international break, so it doesn’t currently look like he’s set for a rest.