Why Declan Rice Is Not Playing For Arsenal vs. Kairat

The England international will miss his second Champions League game of the season.

Declan Rice will miss Arsenal’s league phase finale. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

Arsenal host Kairat Almaty on Wednesday evening trying to put the finishing touches on a remarkable 2025–26 Champions League league phase campaign, but they’ll have to do it without all-action midfielder Declan Rice.

RIce has been instrumental to Arsenal arriving to the final gameweek of the league phase as the only team with a perfect record through seven games. The England international has featured in all but one Champions League game this term and is the heart and soul of Mikel Arteta’s title-contending side.

Barring a shocking turn of events, Arsenal will qualify directly to the Champions League round of 16 as the top team of the league phase standings. Mustering a point from Kairat’s visit will suffice to achieve this, but the Gunners will want to become the first team to finish with a perfect record in the two-year history of the league phase format.

Arsenal will try to achieve this landmark feat without one of the best midfielders in the world. But why is Rice missing the league phase finale?

---

Why Is Declan Rice Not Playing Against Kairat?

Declan Rice is Arsenal’s captain without an armband. | IMAGO/NurPhoto

Rice won’t feature against Kairat on Wednesday because he’ll be serving a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation.

The 27-year-old midfielder made a 26 minute cameo off the bench in Arsenal’s 3–1 win against Inter Milan last week. However, with the result already in the bag, Rice went into the referee’s book in stoppage time for deliberately stopping a potential Inter counter-attack.

Previously, Rice had also earned yellow cards in Arsenal’s wins against Athletic Club and Olympiacos to start their Champions League campaign.

Arteta will have to find a replacement for his do-it-all chess piece, but he won’t be able to call upon another midfielder who will join Rice in the stands.

---

Arteta Forced Into Makeshift Midfield vs. Kairat

Mikel Arteta won’t be able to deploy his strongest XI. | Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images

Like Rice, fellow midfielder Mikel Merino is also suspended for Arsenal’s league phase finale due to yellow card accumulation.

Conspiracy theorists have suggested the pair might have got booked against Inter deliberately, ensuring they miss a somewhat meaningless league phase finale rather than a future game in the knockout rounds.

The suspensions do leave Arteta somewhat short of options in midfield. Although the Spanish boss will likely rotate his side, one of Martin Ødegaard or Martín Zubimendi will likely have to feature from the start.

Christian Nørgaard is expected to make his seventh start for Arsenal and fellow summer recruit Eberechi Eze is also poised to enter the lineup for only the third time in the Gunners’ last 10 games.

---

When Will Declan Rice Return for Arsenal?

Declan Rice is essential for Arsenal’s silverware aspirations this season. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Arsenal fans need not worry as Rice will likely be one of the first names in Arteta’s lineup for Saturday’s trip to Leeds United, looking to reignite their Premier League title charge.

Having served his one-game suspension against Kairat, Rice will also have his yellow card slate wiped clean when Arsenal begin their Champions League knockout stage journey. Having already avoided the playoff round, Rice and Arsenal will start their quest for a maiden Champions League title in the round of 16, which is scheduled to start on March 10–11.

---