Italy Injury Concern For Calafiori As Chiesa Finally Starts For Liverpool In League
Both Italy internationals were in the spotlight ahead of kick-off.
Giuseppe Labellarte
Updated on 27 December 2025
Italy duo Riccardo Calafiori and Federico Chiesa both found themselves in the spotlight ahead of Saturday’s English Premier League games.
Arsenal sweating on Riccardo Calafiori fitness as Federico Chiesa handed Liverpool league start
Both Arsenal and Liverpool were scheduled to kick off their respective league fixtures at 15:00 UTC.
The Gunners hosted Brighton & Hove Albion in London, while the Premier League champions faced Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield.
For Chiesa, it was good news ahead of Liverpool’s game, as coach Arne Slot handed him a first league start of the season.
Indeed, Liverpool’s X account made the Italy international the poster boy for the starting line-up.
How we line up for our final clash of 2025 🔴 #LIVWOL
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 27, 2025
Sadly, Calafiori was not in the spotlight for positive reasons.
The Italy international warmed up with his Arsenal teammates as usual, but he pulled up shortly before kick-off and could not continue.
Calafiori was spotted heading straight down the tunnel after suffering the issue, with Mikel Arteta naming Myles Lewis-Skelly in his place.
Myles Lewis-Skelly replaces Riccardo Calafiori in the line-up after the Italian picked up an issue in the warm-up 🚨 https://t.co/ylXDdlyNWw
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 27, 2025
Gianluigi Donnarumma played earlier in the day, helping his Manchester City side run out 2-1 winners at Nottingham Forest.
Two of the biggest City fan sites on the web deemed the Italy goalkeeper to have had a decent display.
Esteemed Kompany gave Donnarumma a rating of 7 out of 10, while CityXtra went with a 6.5 out of 10.
How Federico Chiesa performed for Liverpool
For Italy, these two moments matter beyond the Premier League headlines because March is coming fast.
The Azzurri’s World Cup play-offs will be among the most important fixtures they will have played in their history.
Calafiori has become an important defensive option for Italy as he can play centrally or on the left, and he gives build-up quality that few others offer.
If this warm-up issue turns out to be anything more than a knock, it complicates selection and preparation immediately.
And considering Calafiori has missed eight of Italy’s games since Euro 2024 due to injury, Azzurri chiefs will be sweating over this latest issue.
Meanwhile, Chiesa finally getting a Premier League start for Liverpool is a timely boost, even though he could certainly have done better.
Liverpool World gave him a 5 out of 10 for his efforts on the day.
“Sent in a couple of crosses in the first half, one of which was saved by the leg of Sa, but otherwise quiet,” they wrote.
“Gave away a free-kick moments before Wolves reduced the deficit. Subbed in the 61st minute and didn’t take his chance.”
The Express were kinder as they gave the Italy attacker a 6 out of 10.
“Was a threat and his movement was helpful, but he lacked composure at times,” they wrote.
“Managed to get an hour under his belt before being replaced by Conor Bradley.”
Chiesa has not donned the Azzurri jersey since June 2024.
Giuseppe Labellarte
Giuseppe Labellarte is a sports journalist with over a decade of professional experience in the industry. His main professional expertise is in soccer. Prior to joining FootItalia, he worked for the likes of Sports Mole, TBR Football, the Chelsea Chronicle and numerous other sites, along with having bylines in the likes of the Nottingham Post. He holds degrees in Journalism and International Relations.
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