Arsenal lost before the big match with Liverpool

Arsenal suffered another heavy blow when Riccardo Calafiori was forced off injured in the match against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

The Italian defender appeared to have a knee injury before being replaced by Myles Lewis-Skelly. The former Bologna star, who joined the Emirates this summer, was treated on the pitch before leaving the pitch with a physiotherapist.

The Italian hit his knee to the ground in a slipping situation and this injury is relatively serious. Calafiori is at great risk of being absent from the big match against Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend.

William Saliba will also be suspended for the "Red Brigade" match after receiving a red card against Bournemouth. Meanwhile, Jurrien Timber is still absent due to injury and missed the match against Shakhtar Donetsk.

In the current context, coach Mikel Arteta may have to struggle to find a defender as Takehiro Tomiyasu is also ruled out due to injury.

The north London side are also waiting for further news about Bukayo Saka. The English striker was absent for the second consecutive match and had to race against time to recover. Before the match against Shakhtar, Arteta was quite worried about the injury situation of The Gunners.

Arsenal will still be without captain Martin Odegaard in the away match against Liverpool. The Norwegian has been absent since the start of September but is said to be improving well.

Speaking before the loss to Bournemouth, Arteta said: "I think he will not be eligible to play for this match. Next week will be a different story, but with the current recovery period. Odegaard has done many exercises, he needs to get through some milestones and be comfortable when doing movements, especially with the ball.

I think next week will be very important to determine whether Odegaard is close to a return to play or not."

Liverpool could also see the absence of key players after Diogo Jota picked up an injury against Chelsea. The striker will not feature in Liverpool's game against RB Leipzig and Arne Slot remains uncertain about his return.

"It's difficult to assess at this point how long it will take. ribs? Diogo Jota felt pain here, I thought it was bruising, so we have to wait and see how long it will take," said the Dutch strategist.