Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori was unable to finish the game between Italy and Germany in the Nations League quarter-final last night after appearing to injure his left knee following an unprompted slipping in the 92nd minute.
The Gunners star was taken off, with Italy coach Luciano Spalletti confirming he would be assessed to determine whether he had suffered any knock.
Calafiori held his knee after slipping and the sight would have been a huge concern for Arsenal given that it is the same knee which has caused him issues in the past.
🚨Riccardo Calafiori tweaked his knee during the game and is going to be assessed tomorrow on if the injury is a serious one or not. pic.twitter.com/AmhS34ADgQ
— Arsenal livestream • Read Bio (@Centre_gunners) March 20, 2025
The Italian has spent four separate spells on the sidelines so far in 2024-25 due to different injuries, and the North London club will hope he will not be joining the likes of Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Raheem Sterling on the sidelines again.
The international break has always proven tricky for Arsenal players as some of them hardly return fit to the club at the end of it, and manager Mikel Arteta will be praying Calafiori is fit enough to return to action next month, when they take on Real Madrid in the quarter-final of the Champions League.
Italy face Germany in the return leg of the Nations League quarter-finals against Germany on Sunday and will have to overturn the 2-1 deficit from Thursday night to book a place in the semi-finals, and it remains to be seen whether the Gunners star will be fit enough to play.
Having suffered a huge injury which saw him rupture all the ligaments in his left knee aged 16 while with AS Roma, the Arsenal man will be hoping the knock from last night is nothing serious given that there were fears he would struggle to even walk again back then.
Calafiori was able to walk off the pitch last night without being helped after the medical team attended to him, but Arsenal could be left sweating over his fitness ahead of their next fixture on April 1 against Fulham.