"It is so unfortunate" – Chris Sutton says Arsenal star's absence from squad for Liverpool clash could be 'massive loss'

Ex-Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers forward Chris Sutton has claimed that Riccardo Calafiori will be a big miss for Arsenal in their Premier League home clash against Liverpool this Sunday.

Earlier on Tuesday (October 22), Calafiori twisted his right knee in the Gunners' 1-0 UEFA Champions League home win against Shakhtar Donetsk. The 22-year-old versatile centre-back was replaced by Miles Lewis-Skelly in the 72nd minute of the continental encounter.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Sutton shared his honest thoughts on the Arsenal summer signing's recent injury ahead of his team's league clash against Liverpool. He said (h/t The Boot Room):

"It was the way Calafiori fell. When he went down again, you think there's something there. It is so unfortunate as he's been brilliant since he came to Arsenal. He can play in the midfield role, he has the awareness for that. He will be a massive loss at the weekend."

Calafiori, who left Bologna in a £42 million move earlier this July, has made 10 total appearances for the Gunners. He started all seven of his club's past seven outings across all competitions, registering one goal.

Mikel Arteta's side are likely to miss a number of first-team faces against Liverpool. They will be without William Saliba, Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber, and Takehiro Tomiyasu apart from Calafiori this Sunday.

Liverpool boss hopes to see his team maintain performance levels in all matches like Arsenal

After Liverpool's recent 2-1 league victory against Chelsea, Reds head coach Arne Slot shared his thoughts on the result and his ambitions with the club. He said (h/t The Guardian):

"I'm very pleased with the result. In an ideal world, we would have completely outplayed them but that was definitely not the case. It was an equal game in my opinion and we had to work really hard not to concede. The great block tackles by Curtis [Jones] and Dominik [Szoboszlai] were just as crucial as the goals we scored."

Slot, who has tasted defeat once as Reds manager, concluded:

"But don't judge us after this game, judge us after the next seven. Our biggest test is to play Champions League and top Premier League matches every three days. That is what Manchester City and Arsenal did for the last two seasons. You saw how difficult it was for us two years ago and last year for [Manchester] United."

Liverpool, who finished seven points behind the Gunners last season, are currently atop the Premier League table with 21 points from eight games.

The Anfield side will next take on RB Leipzig this Wednesday.