Why Rice isn’t playing against Spurs with Arsenal star absent after controversy

Declan Rice will not be playing a part in the first north London derby of the new Premier League season this afternoon.

Arsenal are without one of the key cogs in their system against rivals Tottenham, forcing them to shuffle the team around.

His absence is a huge one and it’s going to impact Mikel Arteta heavily with the Gunners boss now set to experiment in midfield.

But why is Rice having to watch on from home? talkSPORT.com is here to refresh your memory after the break…

Why is Rice not playing against Tottenham?

Rice is suspended for Tottenham vs Arsenal.

The England international was shown two yellow cards against Brighton, landing him with a one-match ban.

But his second booking caused an incredible amount of controversy.

Rice was judged to have kicked the ball away from Joel Veltman and the referee showed him a second yellow for time-wasting.

He was left in disbelief when the red card came out and fans were left fuming by the sending-off, with Joao Pedro avoiding punishment for doing the same thing earlier in the match.

But afterwards, Rice admitted that he did break the laws of the game, saying: “I was shocked. I think you could see in my face I was shocked.

“I’ve not sprinted back in front of him [Veltman] and smashed the ball away. I’ve touched the ball with the outside of my foot.

“Look, this is the law of the game. If you touch the ball away, even a little bit, obviously it’s a red card after my challenge in the first half, which I fully accept was a 50-50 that I didn’t win.

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 “It was tough, it was harsh, but it’s one of those things. I have to move on from it.”

The decision was reviewed over the international break, but the Key Match Incidents panel have ruled it to be correct.

The five-person KMI panel unanimously backed the decision 5-0, saying Rice’s actions were ‘clear, deliberate and impactful’, and that the second yellow card was rightfully given.

It means Arsenal are missing Rice for the derby and that will make matters worse with an injury crisis ongoing too.

Captain Martin Odegaard is also missing after picking up an ankle injury which means Kai Havertz and Jorginho are in midfield.

You can follow this afternoon’s action at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium live on talkSPORT.

All the goals as they go in will be brought to you by Sam Matterface on the Sunday Session.

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