The Arsenal manager was delighted to see his team continue their dominance at the top of the Premier League with a massive 4-1 win over third place Aston Villa on Tuesday (30.12.25), and he has given an update on Rice after the midfielder missed out due to a knee injury.

However, he told BBC's Match of the Day that he expects the player to be available for this weekend's game against Bournemouth.

He said: "I think so, if that swelling comes down in the next few days he will be in a better place.

"But the good thing is without a lot of players still the team is able to perform in that way and win the game."

Arteta did admit it "depends" on how the player is doing closer to the time.

He said: "That swelling has to come right down for him to have the chance to function.

“[Rice] wasn't available to do that today yet. He's improving but let's see what it is in the next couple of days."

Before the match, the manager explained that the injury came after Rice suffered a "big kick" during the Gunners' game against Brighton.

He explained: "Declan got a big kick in his knee during the match [against Brighton], at the start of the match actually, and by the time he finished the match he had a massive swell up.

"The game [against Villa] was too early for him to be able to consider."

Speaking to MOTD after the win over Villa, Arteta praised his team for an "amazing" performance against a side who had won 11 games in a row.

However, he added: "It's another three points is the only thing that matters. We know how long this is going to be.

"It's been an incredible 2025. We know what we want from 2026, we're going to have to earn it and we're still a long way away."