Mikel Arteta has confirmed Arsenal are optimistic about Declan Rice's availability for tomorrow's fixture against Wolves, after the England midfielder was absent from the midweek Champions League triumph at Club Brugge owing to illness. Rice had overcome a slight calf issue (fatigue) picked up towards the end of the Brentford victory to participate in last weekend's heartbreaking loss at Aston Villa.
Concerns arose before the Brugge encounter when he failed to train with the main squad and was subsequently omitted from the travelling party. Speaking ahead of the Wolves match, Arteta explained: "Let's see how he goes today, he was ill. Normally in a few days, but let's see how he gets on. Let's see how he is today, when he was ill. That's an illness, normally in a few days he gets resolved. But we have to wait and see how far he can push."
The Arsenal manager has also provided significant updates on William Saliba, Jurrien Timber and Leandro Trossard, who were similarly ruled out of the comprehensive three-goal victory over the Belgian side.
Saliba has been sidelined since suffering a "knock" prior to the 1-1 stalemate at Chelsea, whilst both Timber and Trossard sustained problems during the Villa encounter, with Trossard having found the net after coming off the bench.
Regarding the French centre-back, Arteta commented: "We have to wait and see. Yesterday we didn't train, he hasn't trained with us yet. So we have an extra day, which means it's afternoon. Let's see if he can be available or not."
He also expressed uncertainty about the Dutchman's fitness, saying: "It was a knock that he picked up and he wasn't feeling comfortable. So yeah, again I think it's something, a matter of days. But whether it's tomorrow or not, we'll see."
Timber made the trip to Belgium with Arsenal but was left out of the matchday squad due to the knock, which meant Ben White featured in his third consecutive game across all competitions.
When asked about Trossard, who has suffered another calf problem, Arteta remained guarded: "Again, it's a matter of days."
Importantly, there were no new injury concerns from the midweek fixture, which feels like a welcome piece of news for the Gunners.
Arsenal have the opportunity to stretch their advantage at the Premier League summit to five points with victory over Wolves, as Manchester City don't play until Sunday when they visit Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace.