Riccardo Calafiori injury latest and FPL update: Is he fit for Arsenal vs Tottenham?

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Arsenal are bracing themselves for a challenging North London derby against rivals Tottenham this weekend, amidst a spate of injuries within the squad. Despite currently leading the Premier League , form often takes a backseat in such high-stakes matches.

Both teams are grappling with injury woes, with Arsenal and Tottenham both having numerous players side-lined over recent weeks. Mikel Arteta is particularly feeling the pinch in his attacking and defensive line-ups ahead of the clash.

Gabriel Magalhaes is the latest casualty, set to be benched due to a thigh problem . Riccardo Calafiori could potentially step in, but he too has been battling fitness issues that may render him doubtful for the match.

Mirror Football examines whether the Italian international might be fit for this weekend's North London derby....

Calafiori was on the pitch for the full 90 minutes during Arsenal's recent 2-2 draw with Sunderland in the Premier League. However, while on international duty with Italy, it emerged that he had sustained a potential injury while playing club football, reports football.london .

Reports suggested that Calafiori was training alone in the Italy camp, with a hip problem ruling him out of their World Cup qualifiers . It came despite other claims suggesting that Arsenal had requested the defender remain in London for additional assessment.

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Calafiori subsequently returned to north London, departing the international camp early after it became apparent he wouldn't be fit enough to participate. Gennaro Gattuso said of the Arsenal star: "He tried to be available, but he can't force it now."

Arteta also provided an update on the player that won't fill many with complete confidence regarding his fitness and availability. He said in his pre-match presser: "Yeah he wasn't available [in the international break], he's been carrying a few things and we had to bring him back. He hasn't trained yet, we have a session tomorrow so we will see."

There remains a chance that he could feature, should he return to fitness in the days preceding the North London derby on Sunday, though it could prove a tight turnaround.

There is some optimism that Calafiori could be fit enough to feature for Arsenal against Tottenham in gameweek 12 of Fantasy Premier League . The defender's hip issue was initially described as a minor concern, suggesting a potential return to the squad if Arteta deems it the correct decision.

Fantasy Premier League currently rates Calafiori with a 75% chance of playing. The Italian defender, valued at £5.8m in the game and chosen by 15.5% of managers, has amassed a total of 61 points.

Those managers will be crossing their fingers that the left-back will be fit enough to return for such a crucial match.

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