Arsenal were damaged further in their squad state ahead of the Premier League clash with Liverpool on Sunday. Riccardo Calafiori left the field in the second half against Shakhtar Donetsk after failing to run off a knee injury he suffered while landing awkwardly.
Speaking after the game, Mikel Arteta said: "Riccy, I don't know, he felt something and could not continue playing so [it's a] bit of a worry." Talking after the match in his press conference, the manager added that it was "not good news".
With that known and should he miss the game with Liverpool, Arteta will need a replacement. football.london therefore is on hand to round up the three potential replacements ahead of the weekend assuming that Jurrien Timber does not make it too.
Jakub Kiwior
After the Pole’s mistake against Bournemouth, it was not entirely surprising that Jakub Kiwior was not brought on with the game state holding just a one-goal lead against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday evening. However, it might be with Calafiori out that Arteta has little choice and Kiwior is perhaps his best defensive option for the role.
The reality remains the same for any player who is selected: they’re going up against perhaps Europe’s best right winger, Mohamed Salah. Kiwior offers the best defensive record but stops far short of providing confidence to the back line that will also be missing William Saliba through suspension.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Another option for Arteta is to use Oleksandr Zinchenko. He is yet to make an appearance from the bench despite being present in the previous two matchday squads. However, his seniority and experience would perhaps suit such a game and he did indeed start the 1-0 win over Manchester City last season.
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The creativity vacuum that has also emerged with both Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard missing could be helped by Zinchenko. The Ukrainian is certainly one of Arsenal’s more progressive players and could provide the incision that has been so lacking of late.
Myles Lewis-Skelly
Calafiori was replaced on the night by teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly. The youngster did impress when in possession and with his positioning that was picked up in our moments missed from the clash on Tuesday.
However, when defending, there were certainly moments of concern. A penalty could have been given at one stage and the idea of the inexperience talent coming up against Salah is ringing too many alarm bells for many to justify the pick.
