Declan Rice had to be subbed off in the goalless draw with Everton, and that obviously raised concerns among Arsenal supporters. However, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta played it all down. “Well, with Declan, I had to take him out… He has been with a little niggle for the last week or so,” Arteta said. “He has to be subbed in that moment. We have to do it.”
We just don’t know how severe the injury to Declan Rice may or may not be, because Arteta is notorious for obfuscating on such things.
EFL Cup Quarterfinal FYIs
Arsenal FC vs Crystal Palaceย
Kick: Wed. December 18, 7:30pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Arsenal Preview Content:ย Starting XI Predictionย ย Team News
How They Got Here:
Arsenal- Beat Preston 3-0 (round of 16), Beat Bolton 5-1 (third round)
Crystal Palace- Beat Aston Villa 2-1 (round of 16), Beat QPR 2-1 (third round)
Arsenal Team News
We do know that we won’t see Declan Rice feature in this League Cup clash however! The midfield maestro won’t be risked in a match of such lower magnitude. Meanwhile Arteta gave the following update on Friday, in regards to Riccardo Calafiori and his persistent knee injury:ย “We’re just respecting the times that the medical department has set, and then weโll just monitor his evolution every single day. We understand that heโs not fully ready yet, but he’s getting very close now.”
He also won’t be risked here. Finally, Neto is cup-tied, so he is ineligible to play here.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. Heโs also the author of โTransatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,โ and โNo, I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.โ
He currently contributes to USA Todayโs NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.
