‎Declan Rice Illness Adds to Arsenal's Mounting Injury Crisis Ahead of Champions League Trip to Brugge

By: Shawn
‎Arsenal have suffered another significant setback after Declan Rice was ruled out of the Champions League trip to Club Brugge due to a worrying illness. The midfielder, central to Mikel Arteta’s plans, did not travel to Belgium after falling unwell following the defeat to Aston Villa.
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‎Arsenal rule out Declan Rice for the Brugge clash as illness and multiple injuries force major squad changes during a congested Champions League period.
‎Getty Images Sport 
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‎Arsenal’s growing injury list has placed major strain on Arteta’s squad. Rice became unavailable shortly after the Villa match, and recovery efforts were not sufficient for him to join the travelling group. William Saliba remains sidelined with an ongoing issue that has kept him out for several weeks. Leandro Trossard, who scored against Villa after recently returning from injury, sustained a fresh knock and was withdrawn before full-time at Villa Park, with Arteta confirming he would not feature in Brugge.
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‎Further absences include Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes and Cristhian Mosquera, adding to the pressures created by the club’s demanding run of fixtures. Viktor Gyokeres has only just returned after his own spell out, offering limited reinforcement.
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‎Arteta detailed the latest updates, explaining Rice’s condition and confirming that Saliba and Trossard remain unavailable. He stated that Rice was “quite sick” after the Villa match and that Trossard’s issue affected the same area he had previously struggled with.
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‎Arsenal have adapted their Champions League squad in response to the rising toll. Gabriel Jesus has been added after recovering earlier than expected from cruciate ligament surgery. His return required the removal of 15-year-old Max Dowman, who suffered an injury for the Under-21s against Manchester United and will be out for weeks.
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‎Arteta noted that Jesus had pushed to accelerate his recovery timeline and credited both the forward and the medical team for the progress. He also acknowledged the impact of Dowman’s setback as the club adjusted its squad allocation.
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‎Questions surrounding overtraining were raised as Arsenal’s injuries increased. Arteta rejected the idea that excessive training contributed to the situation, highlighting that the congested calendar leaves little time for sessions. He added that missing players naturally increases the load on available members of the squad, creating further risks.
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‎Fixture adjustments have been made to ease the congestion. Arsenal’s Premier League match against Everton, along with Crystal Palace’s meeting with Leeds, has been brought forward to 20 December. The change was implemented because both clubs are scheduled to meet in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on 23 December, resulting in a particularly tight turnaround.
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‎Arsenal have already played 22 matches across the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup, with the FA Cup set to begin in early January against Portsmouth. As the squad heads to Belgium without several key figures, the team faces Club Brugge amid increasing demands and a packed schedule.

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