Arsenal travel to Liverpool on Sunday facing a problem Mikel Arteta did not plan for. Three first-team regulars he had expected to call on are question marks for the fixture at Anfield, where Arsenal arrive near the top of the Premier League with the Merseysiders chasing from further down the table.

Rice, Calafiori and Madueke all missed the shock Carabao Cup exit at Fleetwood Town on Tuesday. All three had been part of the matchday squad for Saturday’s 2-0 Premier League win at Everton. Arteta confirmed afterwards that the absences were injury-driven, not rotation.

“Calafiori was out, Noni was out with an ankle and Declan finished with a problem the other day, that is why I had to substitute him,” the Arsenal manager told reporters after the defeat.

Rice forced off at Goodison Park

The midfielder’s withdrawal at Goodison Park was the moment Arteta hinted at: Rice was replaced late on with Arsenal already in control at 2-0, and the Spaniard Martín Zubimendi came on in his place. Arteta did not detail the nature of Rice’s problem beyond calling it “a problem” picked up in the Everton match. Madueke, by contrast, finished the full 90 minutes before developing an ankle issue, while Calafiori’s problem has also been traced to the Everton game.

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The Fleetwood tie exposed how thin Arsenal’s selection had become. The League Two side held Arteta’s reshuffled lineup to 1-1 and won 5-3 on penalties. Arteta’s verdict on the defeat pointed at finishing rather than selection.

“When we create the volume of shots and chances we did, you have to score three, four or five,” he said, per Brit Brief.

Zubimendi plays through broken nose

One Arsenal player did travel through pain. Zubimendi, who replaced Rice at Goodison, broke his nose late in the Everton match after being caught in the face by Toffees striker Thierno Barry while challenging for the ball. He started against Fleetwood in a protective mask and completed the full match.

The absentee list beyond Tuesday is longer still. Bukayo Saka remains out with a quadriceps injury picked up after 10 minutes of the Champions League draw at Bayern Munich, with reports suggesting he could be sidelined into December. Defender William Saliba is working his way back from a back injury sustained at the summer World Cup, with his return date still uncertain.

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Kick-off at Anfield is at 4:30pm local time on Sunday, 1 November. Calafiori is expected to return in time for the trip; Rice and Madueke have not been confirmed either way.

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