Calafiori a doubt for Arsenal's trip to Anfield as Arteta monitors three more fitness concerns

Riccardo Calafiori is facing a race against time to be fit for Arsenal’s Premier League visit to Anfield on Sunday, with the Italian left-back carrying a minor injury sustained during the Gunners’ home game against Everton last weekend.

Calafiori had started all seven of Arsenal’s Premier League fixtures before being named as a substitute against Everton. He came on in the second half at the Emirates Stadium but appeared to struggle towards the end of the match, heading straight down the tunnel at full time to receive treatment. He was subsequently left out of the squad for Arsenal’s Carabao Cup exit at Fleetwood Town in midweek.

Manager Mikel Arteta offered cautious reassurance ahead of that cup tie, saying: “It was because he had a slight issue, we don’t know what it is, it seems to be something very small, but he was cautious about it.” The 24-year-old appeared to be favouring his hip or the side of his body, and despite the low-key assessment he is understood to remain a doubt for Sunday.

Calafiori’s availability is not the only fitness concern for Arteta. Midfielder Declan Rice and winger Noni Madueke both sat out the Fleetwood trip and are being monitored, while Max Dowman is suspended after receiving a red card at Highbury Stadium. Wingers Christos Tzolis and Bukayo Saka are sidelined by injury, and centre-back William Saliba also remains unavailable.

The fact that the fixture falls on a Sunday rather than Saturday gives Calafiori a marginally longer window to prove his fitness — an unusual scheduling quirk that could work in Arsenal’s favour.

The Italian will be eager to feature given his mixed record in this fixture. He missed Arsenal’s home league games against Liverpool in both 2024/25 and 2025/26 through injury but has played in both corresponding away fixtures. Last season he started in a defeat at Anfield, and in May 2025 he came off the bench with 12 minutes remaining in a 2-2 draw on Merseyside.