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ARSENAL FACE FITNESS BLOW, RICCARDO CALAFIORI MISSES INTERNATIONAL TRAINING SESSION

Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori is set to miss Italy's World Cup qualifier vs Moldova with a hip issue. The left-back is training separately, raising doubts for the crucial decider against Norway.

Arsenal Face Fitness Blow, Riccardo Calafiori Misses International Training Session
Riccardo Calafiori Suffers Hip Issue - COURTESY/PHOTO

Due to a hip injury, Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori is anticipated to miss Italy's World Cup qualifying match against Moldova on Thursday.

This week, the 23-year-old left-back has been training independently from his international teammates at their Coverciano, Florence, team base.

Calafiori played 90 minutes in Arsenal's thrilling 2-2 draw at Sunderland last weekend. He has started all 11 of the Gunners' Premier League games this season.

His contribution to his nation over the break, meanwhile, is probably going to be little as the Azzurri attempt to reclaim the top spot in Group I of their World Cup qualifying campaign.

The former Bologna player is currently attempting to demonstrate his fitness in time for Sunday's Milan final matchup with Norway. If Italy wants to secure the top spot and earn a ticket in the finals next summer, they have work to do.

In addition to having a significantly better goal differential than the Euro 2020 winners, Norway presently leads Group I by three points.

It implies that when Estonia travels to Moldova on Thursday, Italy will probably also need them to win points from Norway in Oslo.

With 863 of 990 minutes played for Arsenal in the Premier League so far this season, Calafiori is still ranked higher at left-back than Myles Lewis-Skelly and Piero Hincapie.

However, Mikel Arteta has alternated in the Champions League and EFL Cup, and Calafiori has been rested a lot in both tournaments, except for the 2-0 European success at Athletic Club in September.

When the Gunners play Tottenham in the North London Derby on November 23, they hope to have several first-team players return.

While Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz have made significant strides in their recuperations from their individual knee injuries, Norway manager Stale Solbakken asserts that Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is still "some ways away" from making a comeback.

Both were left out of the young team roster for Tuesday night's 3-1 Football League Trophy loss over Cardiff City, despite speculation that they would both play for Arsenal's U21S.

After undergoing ACL surgery in late January, Gabriel Jesus is also expected to make a comeback before the year is out. Before the international break, attackers Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli suffered hamstring and groin problems, but they are already making a full recovery.

ARSENAL TRANSFER GENIUS ANDREA BERTA’S LATEST MOVE VALUED AT £30.1M

Arsenal's record spending, masterminded by Andrea Berta, has built a squad leading the Premier League. Bargain signing Cristhian Mosquera's value has already doubled, proving key amidst an injury crisis.

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Arsenal transfer genius Berta strikes again - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Arsenal fans have embraced Andrea Berta because of his efforts during the summer transfer window, which saw the team surpass its previous record for spending in a single market. He played a key role in the Gunners' acquisition of eight players, which made the team one of the finest in the league.

After playing their two primary championship challengers and visiting some of the most difficult stadiums in the top division, Arsenal leads Manchester City by four points at the top of the Premier League standings. In these early months of the season, the injury situation has been mostly contained thanks to the bolstered squad.

Several clever business strategies for players at reduced rates have been highly beneficial. No one has received more praise for his performances this season than Cristhian Mosquera.

He was one of the least expensive additions made by one of the title contenders, having been signed for just £15 million during the summer transfer window. The Spaniard is only 21 years old and about ten years younger than Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga, even though both are less expensive.

When he replaced William Saliba at Anfield, he did not look out of place, and the Gunners did not seem any less tenacious at the back, which is really great. Consequently, the football website Transfermarkt has declared that their value of the player has increased once more.

Mosquera is currently valued at approximately £30.1 million, up from £26.4 million during the summer. With little time left on his Valencia contract, the player was solely interested in moving to north London. The Gunners acted quickly to negotiate a very favourable deal for the player, who might easily be worth twice as much as they paid by the end of the season.

Arteta will undoubtedly offer Mosquera more playing time as the holiday season draws near and there are several games planned. Three days after the Gunners' Premier League trip to Everton, they play Crystal Palace in the League Cup quarterfinals.

Arsenal's domestic matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea are interspersed with a Champions League matchup with Bayern Munich. Mosquera may be used during these weeks to help the club maximise its profits and maintain the highest level of player health.

ARSENAL FACE TRICKY MARTIN ODEGAARD FITNESS CHOICE BEFORE CRUCIAL TOTTENHAM FIXTURE

Arsenal face a big decision on Martin Odegaard's fitness during the break. The captain is nearing a return from a knee injury, with Norway eager to call him up for crucial World Cup qualifiers.

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Martin Odegaard has been out of action for Arsenal for the last seven games - COURTESY/PHOTO

As Martin Odegaard nears the end of his recuperation, Arsenal will have to make a big choice about his injury during the November international break.

Due to a knee injury, the Gunners' captain has missed the last seven games; nevertheless, he may make a comeback against Tottenham in the North London Derby. Odegaard has also missed more playing time because of two different shoulder problems, which makes Eberechi Eze's summer acquisition appear especially wise.

The 26-year-old, nevertheless, is hoping for a quick return and might be key in one match this week. In Mikel Arteta's dream world, Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, and Viktor Gyokeres would all improve over the two-week domestic break and be ready to play against Spurs, with Kai Havertz making his eagerly awaited comeback soon after.

A significant decision from Norway


In order to support his countrymen as they try to win Group I and qualify for the World Cup, Norway is eager to have Odegaard in Italy.

Given how important the next ten days could be for his recovery, Arsenal will need to give the captain of Norway permission to travel, even though he has supported his nation when unable to participate.

Norway travels to Udine on Sunday after playing Estonia on Thursday.

Arteta's say on Martin Odegaard


Odegaard was among the four players nearing returns, according to Arteta's most recent update, which was positive. It even suggested that one of them would have been selected in the matchday squad that played out a contentious 2-2 draw with Sunderland on Saturday night.

"You are not far away, but I can not guarantee that all of [them] are out this weekend. "I do not know," he responded, "but some or all of them [may be accessible] after the break. "I think we will be very close, but there are a lot of things that need to happen in the next two weeks, and everything needs to be right."

For the game at the Stadium of Light, no players came back, but it was assumed that Arteta was referring to Martinelli or Odegaard. The man who was most likely to return before the break was Madueke, who might play for Arsenal's under-21 team on Tuesday night against Cardiff in the EFL Trophy.

During his absence, Odegaard has communicated with Arsenal supporters by sharing his activities in his program notes before Arsenal's Champions League matchup with Atletico Madrid.

He was cited as stating, "I had to watch the game from home as I am healing from my knee injury, of course, but the rehab is going well."

"After the West Ham game, I had a few days off since I needed to heal my knee and could not do any work, so I travelled to Norway.

"But it is busy days right now because I have been back for a week and am working every day to maintain my fitness level and attempt to repair the injury.

"I have had a few instances of not being accessible, including an ankle injury last year and a shoulder injury this year.

"I spend every day with the team at Sobha. I am present and assisting in a different capacity because I attend the meetings and the games.

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