Riccardo Calafiori appear to pick up an injury during Arsenal's Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk(Image: (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images))

Mikel Arteta handed another huge Arsenal injury concern before Liverpool clash

22 Oct 2024, 20:34 by Kieran Horn · football.london

Arsenal's injury crisis continues to go from bad to worse for Mikel Arteta after Riccardo Calafiori was subbed off in the second half of his side's Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Jurrien Timber, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Odegaard all missed the clash at Emirates Stadium with doubt cast over the trio for this weekend's Premier League clash against Liverpool. And now Calafiori has become a huge injury doubt after falling awkwardly on his knee in a challenge.

He immediately stuck his hand in the air in the direction of the Arsenal bench, and though he attempted to continue, he went down again and was unable to carry on with Myles Lewis-Skelly replacing him in the 71st minute. Calafiori being absent will likely serve as a huge blow to Arteta, especially given the two defensive absences already expected for the visit of Liverpool.

Alongside concerns surrounding Timber, William Saliba is suspended for the clash after being sent off in last weekend's defeat to Bournemouth. As he cannot feature this Sunday, the France international started the Champions League tie with Ben White at right-back.

The 27-year-old picked up an early yellow card and was subsequently taken off at half-time with it likely to avoid more red cards, though it could also be that he has only just returned from injury. The biggest absence, however, will certainly be Saka if he cannot be passed fit, and Arteta's latest update was rather vague.

"At the moment I'm not very helpful. Let's see. We still have a few days," he told Amazon Prime. In the absence of Saka, Gabriel Jesus started on the right and captained the side with Kai Havertz up top and Gabriel Martinelli deemed fit enough to start.