Arsenal's Champions League hopes face a significant hurdle as midfield linchpin Declan Rice is a major doubt for the crucial quarter-final second leg against Sporting CP on Wednesday. The Gunners hold a slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg in Lisbon, courtesy of a late Kai Havertz winner, but recent form has raised concerns.

Mikel Arteta's men have stumbled domestically, losing their last three Premier League games—a slump that has allowed Manchester City to close the gap in the title race. This dip in momentum makes squad fitness all the more critical for the European showdown at the Emirates.

Rice, who has been instrumental in Arsenal's engine room this season, was notably absent from training on Tuesday. While not definitively ruled out, his potential absence would be a massive blow to Arsenal's control and defensive solidity in the center of the park.

The injury list doesn't end there. Key figures like Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, and Riccardo Calafiori were also missing from the session, though there was a positive note as Piero Hincapié and Eberechi Eze returned to training after sitting out at the weekend.

Meanwhile, Sporting CP arrives in London with momentum, having secured a hard-fought 1-0 league win over Estrela Amadora on Saturday. They will be eager to exploit any disruption in the Arsenal camp as they fight to overturn the first-leg deficit and keep their own European dream alive.