Chelsea v Arsenal: How much would Palmer and Rice be missed?

Both Chelsea and Arsenal could be without significant players in Sunday's head-to-head, with doubts over the fitness of Cole Palmer and Declan Rice.

How did Palmer get injured and what did Maresca say?

Palmer suffered an injury in last Sunday's 1-1 draw with Manchester United from a challenge by Lisandro Martinez.

"Cole is getting better, but because he can walk and have dinner doesn’t mean he is completely fit," Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca said in his pre-match press conference.

"He is getting better and we still have two days to prepare for the game. Hopefully, we can have him for a session - at least on Saturday - and then we take a decision."

How did Rice get injured and what did Arteta say?

Rice, meanwhile, injured his foot in Arsenal's defeat to Newcastle United last Saturday and as a result missed the loss to Internazionale on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League.

"I have to be very vague on that one because there’s no clarity on whether he’s going to be fit for the weekend," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said in his press conference.

When asked if Rice has a broken toe, Arteta added: "That's for the doctor, what I can say is that he hasn't trained yet and it is not clear whether he’s going to be available or not to play."

Palmer's impact at Chelsea

The 22-year-old has been one of the stars of the Premier League since joining Chelsea from Manchester City last summer. 

No Chelsea player has scored more goals, assisted more goals, had more shots, or created more chances in the Premier League than Palmer since the start of 2023/24.

Among ALL Premier League players, only Erling Haaland can beat his 29 goals in that time. 

Palmer's stats since joining Chelsea Statistic Total Chelsea rank PL rank Goals 29 1st 2nd Assists 16 1st =1st Shots 141 1st 2nd Shots on target 58 1st 3rd Chances created 100 1st 5th Succ. passes into final third 621 1st 14th Through-balls 34 1st =2nd Passes played into box 250 1st 11th Duels won 148 6th 92nd Dribbles completed 65 1st 10th Touches in opp. box 173 2nd 26th Fouls won 51 3rd 28th Rice's impact at Arsenal

Being without Rice would be a huge blow for Arsenal on Sunday.

Since joining the club from West Ham United last summer, few Arsenal players have outperformed him in a number of statistics.

The 25-year-old leads the way for tackles, interceptions, distance covered and progressive carries. 

And only one midfielder in the Premier League has run more than him since the start of 2023/24.

Rice's stats since joining Arsenal Statistic Total Arsenal rank Central midfielder rank Matches played 47 =1st =2nd Mins. played 3,994 2nd 2nd Goals 7 6th =11th Assists 9 3rd =8th Goals and assists 16 4th =8th Chances created (inc. assists) 61 3rd =16th Chances created from set-pieces 23 6th =8th Successful passes 2,351 3rd 4th Succesful passes in opp. half 1,362 1st 3rd Dribbles completed 26 6th =27th Progressive carries 405 1st 2nd Tackles 94 1st 12th Interceptions 53 1st 6th Possession won 223 2nd 13th Distance (km) 507.4 1st 2nd