Riccardo Calafiori played 72 minutes in Arsenal’s slender win over Shakhtar Donetsk and was substituted after he succumbed to injury on the night.
As expected, Arsenal gaffer, Mikel Arteta, was questioned about Calafiori’s injury situation and this was what he had to say,
“With Riccy it’s something different, he felt something, I don’t know the extent of that so in that sense it’s not great news.” – Mikel Arteta
Calafiori’s injury has added to the left back conundrum and he will certainly be unavailable for the all-important top of the table clash against Newcastle. After he was eased into action following his acquisition from Bologna, Calafiori has featured consistently for the club, playing in all competitions thus far, as well as featuring regularly for the Italian national team.
The Italian defender opened his goal scoring account in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City and has been one of the bright sparks this season, but in the clash against Shakhtar, he fell awkwardly and it looked really nasty with each passing replay. I had expected him to get substituted immediately but he stayed on the pitch for a while before he hit the turf. It gave me some PTSD bearing in mind Jurrien Timber had a similar scenario against Nottingham Forest last August.
Youngster, Myles Lewis-Skelly, came on for Calafiori and did very well in his stead.
The latest information regarding Calafiori’s fitness
UEFA Champions League, League Stage Arsenal v FC Shakhtar Donetsk Riccardo Calafiori of Arsenal leaves the field injured during the UEFA Champions League, League Stage Arsenal vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk at Emirates Stadium, London, United Kingdom, 22nd October 2024 Photo by Izzy Poles/News Images London Emirates Stadium Greater London United Kingdom Copyright: xIzzyxPoles/NewsxImagesx
Calafiori went for a scan after the game and folks close to the Italian, as well as his representatives spoke to Sky Sports Italia, stating that the initial prognosis is more optimistic than initially thought.
The injury will certainly rule him out of the match against Liverpool, and it’s expected to keep him out for a couple of weeks, not months. It’s believed that his medial collateral ligament was sprained and it’s staggering to see how he remained on the pitch after sustaining the injury.
Luckily, Arsenal has the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior available for selection.
