Riccardo Calafiori has picked up an injury and has been replaced by Myles Lewis-Skelly in Arsenal's starting line-up for the clash with Brighton.
14:48, 27 Dec 2025Updated 15:12, 27 Dec 2025
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been handed a new injury worry.
Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori has been ruled out of this afternoon's game against Brighton after picking up an injury in the warm-up. Calafiori has been replaced in their starting line-up after an unwanted, last-minute worry.
The left-back was replaced in the starting XI by Myles Lewis-Skelly just minutes before kick-off at the Emirates Stadium. That's with Arsenal's preparations for the game already impacted by a further setback.
Jurrien Timber was an eye-catching absentee from Arsenal's matchday squad. Mikel Arteta spoke about Timber during his pre-match interview in which the Spaniard told reporters his player was injured during the last match.
Arteta said: "We missed him because in the last part of the game he felt something and he could not carry on so he's out." Naturally, given the unexpected nature of Calafiori's problem, no update has yet been given on him, but Arteta will address the problem in his post-match press conference.
In the absence of Timber, it was down to Declan Rice to step-in at right-back. However, while Timber - and now Calafiori - come as unwelcome news for Arteta and his squad, there was one selection plus-point in the build-up with Gabriel Magalhaes returning to the matchday squad for the first time since November.
The Brazil defender has been nursing a hamstring issue. He sustained that injury while on international duty.
Jurrien Timber chats to Mikel Arteta.
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Jurrien Timber was ruled out before the game.(Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arteta said: "To all the medical (staff) and the player, they have all been pushing very hard and working extremely hard in the last few weeks to make him available for this game."
Arsenal have had their fair-share of injuries this season. Gabriel, Martin Odegaard and Viktor Gyokeres are among the regular starters to have been unavailable at various stages, while Kai Havertz was injured on the opening day, with Gabriel Jesus hardly featuring as a result of a knee problem he picked up last term.
With academy graduate Lewis-Skelly stepping up to start, his place on the subs bench went to Marli Salmon. The teenager can operate as a centre-back or full-back.
Aside from Timber and Calafiori, the Arsenal absentees for Brighton were; Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Havertz and teenager Max Dowman, who will not return to action until February.
Arsenal XI: Raya; Rice, Saliba, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly; Zubimendi, Merino, Odegaard; Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres.
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Substitutes: Arrizabalaga, Gabriel, Jesus, Eze, Martinelli, Norgaard, Madueke, Nwaneri, Salmon.
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