According to a report by Football London on Tuesday October 27, 2026, Riccardo Calafiori and Christos Tzolis are supposedly getting closer to returns as Mikel Arteta meticulously prepares Arsenal's squad for Sunday's Premier League match against Liverpool. This is encouraging news for the Gunners.

The Gunners' 2-0 win over Everton kept them in contention for a Premier League top-two finish, just behind Manchester City. But with a number of tough games coming up in their demanding season, injuries are still a worry for Arsenal.

After injuring his quadriceps in Arsenal's match against Bayern Munich, Bukayo Saka is still out for the rest of the season. Arteta acknowledged that the winger may be out for a few weeks, and that additional medical testing will be necessary to establish a recovery schedule.

It was difficult to assess the injury, according to the Arsenal manager, because there was a lot of fluid surrounding the affected area. As a result, Saka may make his return in December, maybe on December 20th, when the team faces Manchester United.

After not starting for Arsenal's match against Everton, Calafiori also caused some concern. The Italian defender had started seven games in a row in the Premier League before Arteta had to control his involvement due to a minor problem.

Although the exact nature of the problem was unknown, Arteta implied that it seemed to be of a minor nature. On Sunday, Arsenal will face Liverpool at Anfield, and they are still holding out hope that Calafiori will make a full recovery in time to play.

William Saliba, meanwhile, is making steady progress toward his return from the back injury that sidelined him for the majority of the season. The outdoor individual training sessions of the French defender have resumed.

According to Arteta, Saliba's recovery progress will be evaluated with the help of another MRI scan. Even though there have been encouraging early indicators, the center-back's return to competitive action is still targeted for December.

On the other hand, Tzolis has been nursing a hamstring injury he suffered while playing for Greece at the international level. His anticipated layoff was around three weeks, so a return could be on the horizon if his recovery goes according to plan.

Piero Hincapie, who had an ankle injury but is now fully fit to play for Arsenal, provides Arteta with extra defensive cover as the league schedule gets tougher.

If both Calafiori and Tzolis are able to play against Liverpool, it would be a huge boost for Arsenal. Arteta must strike a balance between maintaining a fit squad, ensuring defensive stability, and leading the club to Premier League glory while Saka is out with an injury.