Riccardo Calafiori Forced Off Injured During Italy’s Clash with France.

Embed from Getty Images

Arsenal summer signing, Riccardo Calafiori, suffered an unfortunate injury during Italy’s Nations League opener against France on Friday night.

In the 71st minute, a freak accident involving France’s Ousmane Dembele led to Calafiori’s injury. Dembele accidentally kicked the back of Calafiori’s right knee, causing immediate pain for the 22-year-old defender. Despite attempting to continue, Calafiori was eventually forced to leave the pitch, visibly limping.

Buy Arsenal's 2025–26 Home Kit through the ArsenalTalks Shop

Arsenal 2025–26 Home Kit

Click this link to buy the new 2025–26 Arsenal home kit through our ArsenalTalks Shop.

This injury comes as a significant concern for Arsenal, who are already dealing with the absence of midfielder Mikel Merino due to a shoulder fracture. With a crucial Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur looming after the international break, the Gunners will be anxiously awaiting a full assessment of Calafiori’s condition.

Though the Italy boss Luciano Spalletti has played down concerns that he was seriously hurt and said he could even be fit to face Israel on Monday.

‘We need to assess Riccardo but with our staff, we’ve a good chance to have him back with us for the next game,’ said Spalletti.

Leave your vote

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings

    Log In

    Forgot password?

    Forgot password?

    Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

    Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

    Log in

    Privacy Policy

    Add to Collection

    No Collections

    Here you'll find all collections you've created before.