Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori was forced off with a suspected knee injury against Shakhtar in the Champions League on Tuesday, adding to Arsenal’s growing list of absentees for Liverpool’s visit to the Emirates on Sunday.
Riccardo Calafiori is the latest point of concern in the Arsenal camp, after the Italian was forced off in the 1-0 win over Shakhtar in the Champions League on Tuesday after seemingly suffering an injury to his right knee.
The 22-year-old hobbled off the pitch, in clear discomfort, after 72 minutes as the Gunners battled hard to claim a narrow victory, maintaining their unbeaten start in the competition.
Arsenal opened the scoring in the 29th minute after eventual Man of the Match Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort bounce back off the post against the back of Shakhtar goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk and into the back of the net.
Leandro Trossard had the opportunity to double the North Londoners’ advantage from the spot five minutes after Calafiori’s withdrawal, but Riznyk denied the Belgian with a fine stop from 12 yards.
Riccardo Calafiori Injury ‘A Worry’ Says Mikel Arteta
Speaking after the full-time whistle on Tuesday, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirmed that Calafiori had suffered an injury and admitted that it’s ‘a worry’ ahead of Liverpool‘s visit on Sunday.
“With Riccy, he had to come off because he felt something,” the Spaniard told the press.
“I don’t know the extent of it, so in that sense, not great news. He could not continue playing, so a bit of a worry.”
“Believe me on Sunday, we will be flying” 🏃
Mikel Arteta says he doesn’t know the extent of Riccardo Calafiori’s injury but his team will be ready for Sunday’s game against Liverpool 🔴 pic.twitter.com/T73oRFlrha
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 22, 2024
There were also concerns over the fitness of Ben White after he was replaced by Mikel Merino at the half-time break, but Arteta eased those worries post-match.
“Ben, it was my decision to take him out,” he said.
“He had a yellow card, and we’ve played enough with 10 men in recent periods. They had a lot of density on that side, a lot of players on that side, so I didn’t want to take any chances there.”
Arteta also admitted that Bukayo Saka is ‘unlikely’ to return from his hamstring injury in time for the Liverpool game, while both Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber remain major doubts for the crucial clash towards the top of the table.
If the trio, along with Calafiori, are deemed unfit for the weekend, they will join the injured Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney on the sidelines, as well as the suspended William Saliba.
Arsenal Injury and Suspension List For Liverpool Clash
- Martin Odegaard (Doubtful) – Ankle
- Jurrien Timber (Doubtful) – Muscular
- Bukayo Saka (Doubtful) – Thigh
- Riccardo Calafiori (Doubtful) – Knee
- Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ruled Out) – Knee
- Kieran Tierney (Ruled Out) – Thigh
- William Saliba (Ruled Out) – Suspended
