Arsenal will face Inter Milan in the Champions League without the services of Declan Rice, who is sidelined due to injury. The match takes place on Wednesday. However, the team might see the return of their captain, Martin Odegaard, after a lengthy absence of two months.

Rice suffered a foot injury during Arsenal’s narrow 1-0 defeat against Newcastle in the Premier League over the weekend, which has prevented him from making the trip to Italy. His condition will be evaluated as the team prepares for their upcoming league match against Chelsea on Sunday.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that the midfielder is experiencing discomfort and is unable to wear his boots at the moment. “It is a knock, a problem on his foot, and he wasn’t comfortable to put his boots on so at the moment he is not fit,” he stated, referring to Rice’s condition. “He wasn’t feeling good the last few days. We’ll have to assess him on Thursday and see if he’s ready for Chelsea.”

On a brighter note, Odegaard appears set to make a timely return after an ankle injury he sustained while playing for Norway in a Nations League match on September 9. He participated in full training with the squad at their training facility in London on Tuesday, just before their departure for Milan.

Arteta expressed optimism about Odegaard’s recovery, noting that this was the first instance since his injury that the captain has been able to train fully. “He’s back a bit earlier than we expected,” Arteta remarked, adding that they would make a decision on his participation against Inter Milan shortly.

So far in the current Champions League format, Arsenal has secured two victories and drawn once in their first three matches. However, the team has struggled domestically, remaining winless in their last three encounters in the Premier League.