Arsenal latest: Gunners suffer injury blow as Mikel Arteta makes ominous Declan Rice remark

Arsenal are in red-hot form, but have suffered a major injury blow ahead of their top of the table clash with London rivals Chelsea

Arsenal are in excellent spirits after delivering dominant back-to-back wins against Tottenham and Bayern Munich. They're currently top of the table in the Premier League and the Champions League - and have now positioned themselves as favourites in both competitions.

Up next is a visit to Chelsea, who sit six points behind them in the league. Another Arsenal victory would reinforce their status as the team to beat this season. A defeat, on the other hand, could blow the title race wide open.

Mikel Arteta's squad will draw belief from their strong recent record in this fixture. Arsenal have not been beaten by the Blues since 2021, which remains their lone defeat in the last 12 clashes between the sides.

Chelsea, however, come into the contest in impressive shape as well. They have taken five wins from their previous six league fixtures and shocked Barcelona with a 3-0 triumph earlier in the week. Making matters more complicated for Arsenal, a serious injury concern threatens to give Enzo Maresca's team the upper hand.

With that context, football.london rounds up the newest Arsenal-focused stories ahead of Sunday's showdown at Stamford Bridge.

Injury blow

Arsenal have suffered a significant injury setback, with Gabriel expected to remain sidelined until 2026. The Brazilian centre-back sustained a thigh injury while representing his country earlier this month and has already missed Arsenal's last two matches.

There had been optimism that he'd be available again in December but Arteta has now played down that hope. When questioned about whether Gabriel might feature before the new year, the manager responded: "I don't know, we have to wait and see."

As a result, the 27-year-old looks likely to miss an important stretch of the campaign. Arsenal still have nine fixtures remaining in 2025, including a League Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace and potentially difficult league encounters with Everton, Aston Villa and Brighton during the hectic festive schedule.

Ominous Rice claim

Declan Rice has cemented his reputation as one of the world's best midfielders and has fully justified the £105million Arsenal paid for him. His latest dominant performance in midweek even prompted whispers about possible Ballon d'Or recognition.

But in a message to Arsenal's competitors, Arteta says there is even more to come from the England star. "Being with him [Rice] every single day, understanding and connecting with him in the way I have done... We are going to get more [from him]," he said.

"Because he wants more, the team knows him better, his role is growing around the team. The impact he has on the team, it's huge."