Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori is a doubt for Sunday's Premier League clash at Anfield after picking up a minor injury during the Gunners' home fixture against Everton last weekend.

The 24-year-old came off the bench in the second half of that match but appeared to struggle toward the final whistle, visibly favouring his hip or side and heading straight down the tunnel at full time to receive treatment.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta offered cautious words on the matter ahead of the Carabao Cup tie at Fleetwood Town, from which Calafiori was omitted entirely. "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," Arteta said.

A race against time

Despite the manager's relatively relaxed assessment, Calafiori is understood to be in a race against time to prove his fitness before Sunday. Arsenal and Liverpool face off on a Sunday rather than the traditional Saturday slot — a factor that could give the Italian left-back a few extra hours to recover.

Calafiori had been a near ever-present in Arsenal's league campaign before the setback, starting all seven Premier League matches prior to the Everton game. He also featured in the Gunners' Champions League fixture in the same week before being named among the substitutes for the Everton encounter.

Arteta's growing injury headache

Calafiori is not the only player giving Arteta cause for concern heading into the Liverpool match. Declan Rice and winger Noni Madueke were also held back from 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 remain sidelined by injury, as does centre-back William Saliba, leaving Arteta with a notably thin squad to navigate one of the Premier League's most demanding fixtures.

Calafiori's record at Anfield

For Calafiori, there is an extra incentive to return — he has a difficult record in home fixtures against Liverpool. He missed both Arsenal home league meetings with the Reds in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons through injury. In the corresponding away fixtures, he featured on both occasions: he was in the starting line-up when Arsenal lost at Anfield last term, and in May 2025 he came off the bench with 12 minutes left as the match ended 2-2.