%20rotate(-8.06)%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22336.19%20136.81%20330.16%2094.25%20326.06%2071.19%20326.44%2071.13%20335.22%2093.54%20352.29%20134.52%20373.95%20131.46%20362.7%2052.01%20350.02%2053.8%20356.05%2096.36%20360.15%20119.42%20359.77%20119.48%20350.99%2097.08%20333.91%2056.09%20312.25%2059.15%20323.51%20138.6%20336.19%20136.81%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22402.91%2059.3%20412.36%20126.02%20427.17%20123.92%20417.72%2057.21%20431.59%2055.24%20429.79%2042.51%20387.23%2048.53%20389.04%2061.27%20402.91%2059.3%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22463.51%20118.77%20458.69%2084.71%20474.68%2082.44%20479.51%20116.5%20494.36%20114.4%20483.11%2034.95%20468.26%2037.06%20472.96%2070.25%20456.96%2072.52%20452.26%2039.32%20437.4%2041.43%20448.65%20120.88%20463.51%20118.77%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22540.5%20107.87%20538.77%2095.68%20518.91%2098.49%20515.77%2076.29%20535.63%2073.47%20533.93%2061.5%20514.07%2064.32%20511.11%2043.42%20530.98%2040.61%20529.25%2028.42%20494.53%2033.34%20505.78%20112.78%20540.5%20107.87%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22299.03%20155.17%20301.29%20171.58%20542.78%20138.39%20540.5%20121.97%20299.03%20155.17%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
Declan Rice is absent from Arsenal's trip to face Liverpool at Anfield this afternoon, missing the game due to injury.
Rumours emerged prior to the game before the Gunners' official team news announcement confirmed their star midfielder will not be involved. Mikel Merino has reverted back to his natural role in the middle of the park to accomodate his teammate's absence.
The lack of Rice in the game will come as a big blow to Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side as they will both miss his presence on Merseyside.
Declan Rice misses Arsenal's trip to Anfield
Declan Rice is injured, confirmed by Arsenal.
— Connor Humm (@TikiTakaConnor) May 11, 2025
Declan Rice's absence from the squad will come as a shock to fans after he completed a full 90 minutes in the defeat to Paris Saint-Germain with no glaring issues. Mikel Arteta did not comment on his star player's availability in his pre-match press conference.
The midfielder will be a huge miss for the Gunners given how consistently he has performed throughout the campaign. With Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai starting in the middle for Liverpool, Rice would have been a crucial component for Arsenal in what would have been a good battle.
The Gunners should be looking to win at Anfield today in order to go another step closer to avoiding a horror end to the season without Champions League qualification, but their task will now be that bit harder as they look to play without a key man in the side.
Mikel Merino has dropped back into his natural midfield role to fill in for the injured Rice with Leandro Trossard coming into the side as the striker.
Arsenal's trip to Anfield will be just the third time they have been forced to line up without Rice this season, with him missing a visit to Inter Milan and a home Carabao Cup tie against Crystal Palace. The midfielder may prove to be a huge miss on Merseyside.
With no official confirmation on the severity or nature of Rice's injury, fans will also be worried he could be unavailable for the remainder of the season.