Arsenal will take on Chelsea in a Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge later today.
Mikel Arteta will be desperate to see his side get back to winning ways in West London.
The Gunners are in dire need of a win. Thierry Henry has warned Arsenal that their Premier League chances will disappear if they fail to beat the Blues.
Liverpool already have a healthy lead at the top of the table, and Arsenal are trailing in the wake of reigning champions Manchester City too.
Declan Rice shares connection with Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca
Chelsea have made a solid start to the campaign, and will be full of confidence when they host the Gunners.
Meanwhile, Arsenal will be weakened by the absence of Declan Rice, as the former West Ham United midfielder is unlikely to be fit enough to start the game, and may yet be ruled out entirely.
However, the England international has still thought carefully about the threat that Chelsea will pose, and has discussed the challenges facing his side with Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg.
As quoted by the official Arsenal website, Rice said: “I think the transition they’ve made this season has been amazing compared to last season. The coach, I worked with him at West Ham for a few years, so I know Enzo really well and he’s a really good guy.
“They’ve got a young, exciting squad of players, so fair play to them for what they’re doing because there was a lot of negative talk about Chelsea last season.
“They’ve put that behind them to play how they’ve done this year with their style of play and attack, so credit to them. It’s set up to be a really tough game.”
How Mikel Arteta can use insider scoop on Maresca to prepare Arsenal
Even if Rice is out of action for this fixture, he will still have been able to pass some useful information on to Arteta, as he is familiar with Enzo Maresca’s tactics.
Maresca has been able to quickly impose his style at Stamford Bridge, and any insight Rice could offer in terms of what Arsenal can expect from Chelsea will have been useful in the build-up to this fixture.
Rice has admitted that there is frustration behind the scenes at Arsenal, given the club’s poor recent form. However, a win against Chelsea would provide a huge and much-needed boost.
Rice will be keen to make use of his understanding of Maresca’s style in any way he can.
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