Arsenal have high hopes for Riccardo Calafiori but the summer signing could be unavailable for the upcoming North London Derby.
The Gunners have paid around 45 million euros to sign the centre-back from Bologna but he is yet to start for the Premier League giants. After two appearances from the bench, he was in line to be named in the starting line up against Tottenham Hotspur however, there’s a chance Riccardo Calafiori has picked up a slight knock.
He played 71 minutes for Italy against France but had to be taken off after a collision with Ousmane Dembele and the defender has been sent back to Arsenal, as per Fabrizio Romano. Italy has made it clear that he was sent to England just as a precaution but there’s still a doubt over his participation in the North London Derby.
Riccardo Calafiori has played 42 minutes over two matches for his new team but even if his knock is not serious, he is not likely to play against Ange’s team on Sunday.
Gabriel and William Saliba have been the first-choice central defensive pairing for Arsenal and with Calafiori picking up that minor injury, these two will hold onto their positions. Saliba and Gabriel did a wonderful job last season and so far, this campaign, the pair have been pretty solid as well.
Hopefully, the injury is not a serious one but unless Riccardo Calafiori is 100% fit there’s no way he is going to play any part against a strong team like Tottenham Hotspur.
Tactically, there will be no alteration in Mikel Arteta plans and unless there are any late injuries during the remainder of the international break, the manager will most likely name an unchanged starting XI on Sunday.
After 3 matches, Arsenal find themselves fourth on the league table with seven points and they will have to ensure that they pick up a win vs Spurs to be able to maintain the pressure on Manchester City and Liverpool.
