Arsenal hope to have Rice for Anfield showdown as Dowman ban stands
Leaders Arsenal look set to have Rice, Calafiori and Tzolis back for Sunday's trip to Liverpool. Saka is out and 16-year-old Dowman is suspended.
Archive image · Photo: Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Arsenal head into Sunday's top-of-the-table clash at Liverpool (1630 GMT) with a welcome injury boost. Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori and Christos Tzolis have returned to training, manager Mikel Arteta said on Friday, and will be available if all goes well. Noni Madueke is a doubt, while Bukayo Saka (quad) and William Saliba (back) remain sidelined.
In a setback for the London club, an independent panel rejected Arsenal's appeal against Max Dowman's red card. The 16-year-old was sent off in the League Cup exit against Fleetwood Town and now serves a three-match ban. Arteta said he was "very disappointed" but called for discipline: "We are not in Disneyland. We are in the Premier League."
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola said Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz both "have a chance" of being involved. He called Arsenal the champions and league leaders who have lost only once this season, but said it was too early in October to look at the standings. Liverpool have won five in a row, only two of them in the league.