Rice to miss Inter trip as Arsenal welcome back Odegaard

Declan Rice will miss Arsenal’s Champions League match at Inter through injury but Mikel Arteta is hopeful of having Martin Odegaard available after two months on the sidelines.

Rice has not travelled to Milan after picking up an injury during Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday.

The England international will now undergo further tests to determine his availability for Sunday’s London derby at Chelsea.

“Declan unfortunately picked up an injury against Newcastle. He was able to finish and he wasn’t feeling good the last few days,” Arteta told a press conference.

“We’ll have to assess him on Thursday and see if he’s ready for Chelsea.”

Meanwhile, Arteta will wait to see if Odegaard can feature at San Siro after recovering from an ankle injury he suffered while on international duty with Norway in September.

“The positive news, Martin, it’s great to have him back,” the Spaniard said.

“He trained with us first time today. He’s a bit earlier than expected. But it’s great to have him here and we will decide if we use him tomorrow.”

Checking out tomorrow’s venue

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Both Arsenal and Inter have seven points apiece after three Champions League games.

Arteta’s side will look to restore morale after a three-game winless streak in the Premier League, in what will be the team’s first game after sporting director Edu surprisingly announced his departure.

“Everything happened very quickly. I loved working with him, I really enjoyed being alongside him in this incredible journey. I’m very grateful for everything he’s done for me and the club,” Arteta said about the Brazilian.

“He’s had an amazing opportunity now to do something else in a different role. He feels that’s best for him. We have to respect that. From the bottom of my heart I wish the best for him.

“We have a very strong leadership team and we’re not going to stop right now. The passion to fulfil this journey is not going to stop. That means opportunities for someone else. We say thank you and we have to move on.”