Arsenal’s victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League came at a cost as Riccardo Calafiori added to Mikel Arteta’s injury concerns just days before the Gunners host Liverpool in the Premier League.
Calafiori hobbled off with an apparent knee injury after landing awkwardly in the second half of the 1-0 win at the Emirates, with Arteta expressing concern for the Italian and admitting it was “not great news”.
Arsenal will be without the suspended William Saliba against Liverpool and Calafiori would have been a possible replacement to start against Arne Slot’s side alongside Gabriel Magalhaes.
Arteta could also be without versatile defender Jurrien Timber, who has been sidelined since the 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month after making an impressive start to the new season.
Bukayo Saka missed his second game in a row as a result of the hamstring injury picked up while on England duty, with Arteta saying the forward is “unlikely” to face Liverpool as he is still yet to return to training.
“He wasn’t able to do the session in the way that we wanted [on Monday],” Arteta said. “He wasn’t still feeling good so it wasn’t good news.” Captain Martin Odegaard also remains out with an ankle injury.
There was a further worry for Arsenal fans when Ben White was replaced at half time against Shakhtar, but Arteta alleviated fears that the full-back picked up an injury by confirming his substitution was tactical.
The withdrawal of White and Calafiori illustrated the extent of Arsenal’s absences in defence, with the Gunners finishing the match against Shakhtar with Thomas Partey and Myles Lewis-Skelly filling in at full-back. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Keiran Tierney were also unavailable, with Zinchenko only fit enough to return to the bench.
It was interesting that Lewis-Skelly came off the bench ahead of both Oleksandr Zinchenko, who returned to the Arsenal bench for the first time since August and Jakub Kiwior, who is likely to be required against Liverpool.
Zinchenko has played just 79 minutes in the Premier League this season and has not featured since the 1-1 draw against Brighton due to a calf injury sustained during the September international break.
Kiwior, meanwhile, struggled in the defeat at Bournemouth after he was brought on in the tactical reshuffle that followed Saliba’s red card. The Poland international was subbed off after his back-pass resulted in David Raya fouling Evanilson and conceding the penalty that wrapped up Bournemouth’s 2-0 win.
Kiwior has made the majority of his appearances at left back with Saliba and Gabriel such a consistent partnership in the heart of Arsenal’s defence, but he is the obvious candidate to replace the Frenchman.
The 18-year-old Lewis-Skelly would be a surprise choice to face Mohamed Salah at left back, meaning Zinchenko may have to start his first game in a month immediately after returning from injury.
Liverpool have a couple of injury problems of their own and Arne Slot’s side will have a day less to recover after facing a trip to RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker is out with a hamstring injury while Diogo Jota is a doubt after limping off in the opening stages of their win over Chelsea last weekend.
Arteta admitted his side were tired in the second half against Shakhtar, who could have earned themselves a point were it not for Raya’s excellent save to deny Pedrinho’s long-range shot in the 92nd minute.
But the Arsenal boss expects his side to recover in time to be “flying” when they host league leaders Liverpool at the Emirates, in what is shaping up to be a crucial clash at this early stage of the season.
It may not be must-win just yet, but it’s close to must-not-lose for Arsenal given they are already four points off leaders Liverpool and three points behind last season’s title rivals Manchester City, who this weekend host Southampton.
“We played two nights ago, with players coming back from internationals, after flying from Brazil and many countries,” Arteta said. “I was expecting a bit of a drop-off. And the fact that we put so much in the first half and didn’t get the distance in terms of the scoreline, we paid a bit for that.
“Then we made life more difficult for us because we started to give the ball away in not the right areas and then it was more open. That didn”t help. But we have now four days. And believe me, come Sunday we’ll be flying. We’ll be in the right place.”
Arsenal’s possible XI against Liverpool: Raya; White, Gabriel, Kiwior, Zinchenko; Partey, Rice, Merino; Jesus, Havertz, Martinelli
Liverpool’s possible XI against Arsenal: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz