"Calafiori was out, Noni was out with an ankle, and Declan was feeling a problem the other day," Mikel Arteta said after Arsenal's cup tie with Fleetwood, and that leaves Arsenal with a proper selection issue before Liverpool. Riccardo Calafiori, Noni Madueke and Declan Rice all missed Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie, while Rice was also substituted against Everton after feeling a problem in the previous match.
Arteta's injury update
Rice's workload shows why this is awkward. He has played 80, 90, 90 and 90 minutes in his last four Arsenal appearances, so losing him would take a heavily used midfield pillar out of the side. Calafiori's latest league outing lasted only 22 minutes, after four more substantial outings before that, and Madueke had played 90 minutes in Arsenal's previous two league matches before the ankle issue kept him out.
Arteta's concern is not just about one position. Arsenal go to Liverpool on Sunday, then resume their Champions League campaign away to Slavia Prague, so the fitness picture has arrived at a bad moment for a side second in the Premier League with 21 points after eight matches.
The wider schedule
The cup defeat to Fleetwood only added to the strain around the squad. Arsenal were beaten on penalties in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, and the tie also brought a straight red card for Max Dowman after he kicked out at Harrison Neal.
The bigger issue is that Arteta is already managing injuries across key areas of the team. Liverpool are fourth in the Premier League with 15 points after eight matches, and Sunday at Liverpool vs Arsenal now looks like a test of how much cover Arsenal really have when the regular starters are not all available.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
