Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is paaping ahead of Sunday’s visit from Liverpool in the Premier League.
Already without their star captain and long-term absentee Martin Odegaard and star winger Bukayo Saka, defender Riccardo Calafiori limped off near the end of a scrappy 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Calafiori now also looks like a doubt for Sunday’s crunch Premier League game against Liverpool after injuring his knee.
Fellow defender Jurrien Timber is also struggling to be fit for the visit of Liverpool, while central defender William Saliba will be missing after his red card in the defeat at Bournemouth at the weekend.
And Arteta, whose team are unbeaten in the Champions League with two wins and a draw from three matches and third in the Premier League – four points behind the table-topping Reds after eight games, says: “With Riccy he had to come off because he felt something. I don’t know the extent of it but it’s not good news, it’s a bit of a worry.”
Arsenal fans will be happy to learn that fullback Ben White’s substitution at half-time against Shakhtar was not injury-related but because he had picked up a yellow card.
Arteta, meanwhile, sounded pessimistic about the chances of Saka returning against Liverpool, who played RB Leipzig in the Champions League last night. Arsenal went down 2-0 to Bournemouth in their last Premier League tie.