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Feature
- 38 minutes ago
Rice vs Caicedo: Arsenal star issues message ahead of Chelsea showdown
Cameron Smith
- 27 Nov 2025 09:31 GMT
- 6 min read
News
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has insisted that he “has a lot of respect” for Moises Caicedo ahead of his meeting with the Chelsea star on Sunday afternoon.
The pair have been described as two of the best midfielders in world football throughout the 2025-26 season and they will face each other at Stamford Bridge this weekend in a heavyweight Premier League clash.
Current ETV
Declan Rice
M, DM (C)
Arsenal
Declan Rice
M, DM (C)
Arsenal
ETV Range
€103.3M - €126.3M
Arsenal will go nine points clear of their London rivals if they can secure victory over Enzo Maresca’s side on Sunday, while Chelsea can close the gap at the top of the Premier League table to just three points with a win.
Both sides secured major Champions League victories in midweek, over Bayern Munich and Barcelona respectively, and Sunday’s clash has been billed as a huge game in the English top flight title race.
Rice and Caicedo both made big-money transfers to their current clubs in the summer of 2023 and they have been widely compared to each other over the past two years, with the debate intensifying since the beginning of this campaign.
When asked by Jamie Carragher if his rivalry with the Chelsea star could be reminiscent of battles between Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane in the early 2000s, Rice was keen to heap praise on his fellow midfielder.
Declan Rice responds to Moises Caicedo comparison
“First and foremost, I have a lot of respect for Moises, I have played against him since his Brighton days, since I was at West Ham,” the England international told CBS Sports following his Man of the Match performances versus Bayern on Wednesday evening.
“I voted him last year in my PFA Team of the Year. I thought he was outstanding last year and he has started this year incredibly well as well.
“There are so many comparisons between us but we are playing different positions, he’s a full-blown six and I am more of a box-to-box number 8.
“Sunday is going to be an interesting game but the most important thing is I have a lot of respect for him as a player, like Roy and Patrick did. It is an exciting battle between us and one I’ll be ready for.”
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