Mikel Arteta gets timely Arsenal injury boost but Liverpool task has just been made easier

Arsenal is still waiting for a full update on the fitness of winger Bukayo Saka ahead of facing in the this weekend — but defender .

According to the Italian outlet , Calafiori's injury is not as bad as first feared, in a major boost for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, but he will still be sidelined for a period of a few weeks. The issue is described as being a relatively "slight problem" and "nothing serious" but he will be absent at the Emirates Stadium.

Calafiori was forced off in the second half of Arsenal's Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday. Arteta said afterward that "he had to come off because he felt something" but that it "wasn't great news".

Arsenal heads into this weekend trailing Liverpool by four points in the Premier League table. Last weekend, it fell to a 2-0 loss away at Bournemouth . Both he and Calafiori will be missing against Liverpool as a result.

"Let’s move on, take that pain we still have in the tummy and use it," Arteta said after Arsenal’s setback on the south coast. "It puts a bit of perspective into the situation. Obviously we want to win in any context. The reality is that we have made that context very difficult for ourselves [with the red card].

"It was very difficult already with the amount of players that we had out and the schedule and the games that we had to play, but that’s the reality. For that game, we didn’t get away with it. We could have done and it could have been a very different narrative, but the reality is we didn’t. Another context is that we have lost one game in six months. Now we have to win again."

Liverpool.com says: If Arsenal is without so many key players this weekend, there is no doubt that there is an opportunity for Liverpool to take advantage. Moving seven points clear in the table with a win would be a massive statement of intent.