Arsenal dealt blow as star man misses training ahead of Inter Milan UCL clash - Reports

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has reportedly missed training ahead of the UEFA Champions League trip to Serie A giants Inter Milan on Wednesday (November 6).

The Gunners are unbeaten in three games in the competition. Since opening their campaign with a goalless stalemate at reigning UEFA Europa League champions Atalanta, Mikel Arteta's side have had consecutive home wins, seeing off Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 and Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0, respectively.

Meanwhile, Rice, 25, has been a key player for the Gunners since his arrival from West Ham United last summer. The Euro 2024 finalist has eight goals and 12 assists in 64 games across competitions. That includes a goal and two assists in 13 outings this season.

Having missed only two games this campaign - one due to suspension and the other due to rest - Rice has been a regular in Arteta's set-up. However, as per THE STANDARD, the Gunners are sweating on the fitness of the midfielder, who missed training on Tuesday morning before flying out to Milan.

While Rice's availability for the game could be doubtful, the Gunners have encouraging news on another front, as midfielder Martin Odegaard returned to training this week after missing the last two months due to an ankle injury.

More clarity on Rice's status is likely to emerge in the Gunners' pre-game press conference on Tuesday evening.

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What happened when Arsenal last played Inter Milan?

Arsenal head coach Mikel Artete

Arsenal will have happy memories from their last clash with Inter Milan, which happened in November 2003 in the UEFA Champions League. The game at the San Siro saw the Gunners emerge victorious 5-1.

After club legend Thierry Henry had opened the scoring inside 25 minutes for the visitors, Christian Vieri responded for Inter eight minutes later as the two teams headed to the break on level terms.

However, Arsene Wenger's men would run riot in the second half. After Freddie Ljungberg had put the English side back in front in the 49th minute, Henry completed his brace five minutes from time. Before the final whistle blew, Edu (88') and Robert Pires (89') also got on the scoresheet to make it a memorable European night for the Gunners.

Two months earlier, in the reverse fixture at the Emirates, the Nerazzurri had won 3-0 but couldn't repeat the trick at home. The Gunners would go on to reach the quater-final that season before losing 3-2 on aggregate to Chelsea following a 1-1 first-leg away draw.