Calafiori celebrates with Arsenal teammates as absence vs. Sporting CP explained | OneFootball

Arsenal hope Riccardo Calafiori will be available for Sunday’s big Premier League game against Manchester City, while the Italy star joined his teammates in the dressing room last night to celebrate qualification for the Champions League semis.

Arsenal’s 0-0 draw at home against Sporting CP in London last night secured the Gunners’ place in the Champions League semi-finals, setting up a meeting with Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 28: Riccardo Calafiori of Arsenal in action during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD8 match between Arsenal FC and FC Kairat Almaty at Arsenal Stadium on January 28, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Calafiori missed the match due to fitness issues. According to The Standard, the Italian defender’s problem remains unknown, but Arsenal likely wanted to manage his minutes to avoid a serious injury.

The Manchester Evening News claims that Calafiori could return to action against Manchester City on Sunday.

The former Bologna star featured for the full 90 minutes in the first leg against Sporting CP last week, but missed the reverse fixture last night as well as the previous Premier League match against Bournemouth.

Naturally, Calafiori still celebrated Arsenal’s qualification for the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday, joining his teammates in the dressing room after the match, as shown by Piero Hincapié’s latest Instagram story.

Calafiori joins Arsenal teammates for dressing room celebration