Arsenal’s injuries are mounting as Riccardo Calafiori left their win over Shakhtar Donetsk midway through the second half with “not great news” according to Mikel Arteta.
After Shakhtar goalie Dmytro Riznyk scored a first-half own goal, the left-back left in apparent pain with a knee injury, clouding an otherwise routine night.
Liverpool may still be without Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Jurrien Timber for the upcoming Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
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“He had to come off because he felt something,” Arteta said of Calafiori. “I don’t know the extent, so not great news.”
The manager said, “He wasn’t able to train yet so that’s unlikely.” Saka, who has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, may return this weekend.
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Arteta confirmed that Ben White, who was substituted at halftime after a shaky first half and booking, was not injured. He said, “It was my decision to take him out.
He had a yellow card, and we’ve played enough with 10 men lately. I didn’t want to risk it since [Shakhtar] had a lot of players on that side.
Arsenal struggled against the Ukrainian champions, missing several chances and having Leandro Trossard miss a late penalty.
“We should have put the game to bed with our dominance and territory,” Arteta remarked. “We looked tired.”
Arteta wasn’t surprised by Arsenal’s tired performance after the break, but he’s not worried about his players’ fitness to face Liverpool, who lead the league four points ahead.
Due to the Bournemouth game last Saturday and the international break, he expected a drop off. “I think we paid for putting so much into the first half and not getting the scoreline. We have four days. I promise we’ll fly Sunday.”
Marino Pusic, Shakhtar’s manager, was pleased with their effort after David Raya’s stop prevented a late equalizer.
“I told my players I am proud of how they showed up tonight and what they did,” he said. “Playing against such a great team is difficult. We really earned an equalizer.”
