Arteta reveals Arsenal are in “dangerous” situation after Rice gets ruled out of fixture against Club Brugge
Arsenal faces a significant injury crisis ahead of their Champions League match against Club Brugge, with key midfielder Declan Rice ruled out due to illness.
Last Updated: 04.13 PM, Dec 10, 2025
Arsenal’s mounting injury crisis has deepened on the eve of a crucial Champions League trip to Belgium, with midfielder Declan Rice ruled out of the clash against Club Brugge due to illness. The England international, a central pillar of Mikel Arteta’s system, has not travelled after falling “quite sick” following the weekend defeat to Aston Villa. His absence adds to a growing list of sidelined stars at a time when Arsenal’s schedule is becoming increasingly unforgiving.
Declan Rice is out of the Club Brugge fixture
Rice reportedly became unwell shortly after the loss at Villa Park and, despite efforts to speed up his recovery, the 26-year-old was not deemed fit enough to join the travelling squad. He is one of several high-profile omissions.
Key centre-back William Saliba, who has been managing a persistent problem for weeks, remains unavailable and will miss yet another marquee European fixture.
Leandro Trossard, who had only just returned from injury and scored against Villa, suffered a fresh knock and was forced off before full-time. Although Arteta does not believe Trossard’s latest issue will be long-term, he confirmed there was no prospect of the Belgian featuring in Bruges.
The Gunners’ problems do not end there. Kai Havertz, defenders Gabriel Magalhaes and Cristhian Mosquera are also out, further stretching a squad that has already been operating close to its physical limits.
Viktor and Jesus to return for Gunners
The only bright spot is the return of striker Viktor Gyökeres, who has recently rejoined the group after his own spell on the sidelines. Even so, the overall picture is of a team having to cope without several of its usual starters in one of the most demanding stretches of the season.
Speaking to the media ahead of the match, Arteta laid bare the scale of the challenge. He explained that Rice “was quite sick after the game” and simply could not travel with the team, while confirming that Saliba is still not ready to play and that Trossard’s recurrent issue has ruled him out of the Champions League tie.
The manager’s comments painted a picture of a squad being pushed to the limit by repeated setbacks, with each new injury forcing others to shoulder even more responsibility.
In response to the personnel crisis, Arsenal have made changes to their Champions League squad. Gabriel Jesus, who had been out since January following cruciate ligament surgery, has been added to the group earlier than expected.
Max Dowman is out too
Arteta revealed that the Brazilian had targeted a return at the end of December but pushed relentlessly to accelerate his comeback, insisting he would be ready sooner and proving the medical staff right to trust his determination.
His inclusion comes at the expense of 15-year-old Max Dowman, who suffered an injury playing for the Under-21s against Manchester United and is now set for a spell on the sidelines.
"Declan [Rice] is ill and hasn't travelled. William [Saliba] is out. Leo [Trossard] too, he picked up another knock. I don't expect it for long but he's out. Max [Dowman] picked up an injury last weekend and he had to come off and we did some scans and he's going to be out for weeks,” Arteta said in his press conference.
Arteta described a bittersweet scenario: on one side, the disappointment for Dowman, who had earned a call-up only to be struck down by injury; on the other, the joy of seeing Jesus back in contention for Champions League action.
The manager praised his work ethic throughout his rehab and the efforts of the medical team that enabled this early return. Jesus’ comeback provides a timely boost to an attack missing several creative and goalscoring options, even if he is unlikely to be fully match-sharp immediately.
“Really dangerous” situation for Arsenal
With so many absences, questions were inevitably raised about whether Arsenal’s training methods or workload management might be contributing to the spike in injuries. Arteta firmly rejected the idea that overtraining was to blame, insisting that the congested fixture calendar actually leaves little time for intense training sessions.
Instead, he pointed to the unavoidable reality that when key players are missing, others are forced to play more minutes, increasing their own risk of breakdown.
He described the situation as “really dangerous,” acknowledging that some long-term absentees have not been available since the start of the season, but stressed that the team has, so far, responded admirably to each setback.
Arsenal to play 22 matches before FA Cup starts in January
Fixture congestion remains a central theme in Arsenal’s campaign. League matches later this month have already been moved forward by 24 hours to ease pressure during a packed festive period.
The Gunners’ trip to Everton and Crystal Palace’s visit to Leeds, originally scheduled for December 21, will now be played on the evening of December 20 to create slightly more breathing room before the clubs meet in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on December 23.
Even with that adjustment, Arsenal will have played 22 matches across the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup before their FA Cup campaign even begins in early January against Portsmouth.