Arsenal were forced into a last-minute change before their Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, with left-back Riccardo Calafiori picking up an injury during the warm-up. The Italian, who was initially named in the starting XI, headed down the tunnel before kick-off and was replaced by Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The club announced the substitution on social media, stating: "Myles Lewis-Skelly replaces Riccardo Calafiori in the line-up after the Italian picked up an issue in the warm-up." The nature and severity of Calafiori's injury are not yet known. It is his second injury of the season, having previously missed time in November with a hip problem.
Manager Mikel Arteta also revealed that defender Jurrien Timber was absent from the squad after feeling something in the latter stages of the previous game. Timber joins a growing injury list that includes Ben White (hamstring), Cristhian Mosquera (ankle, out until the New Year), and teenage attacker Max Dowman (ankle, out for a couple of weeks).
Kai Havertz remains sidelined with a knee injury, but Arteta said he could return in days or weeks. On the positive side, Gabriel Magalhães returned to the squad after recovering from an injury sustained during the international break, while Piero Hincapie also made the bench after a knock.
