Calafiori out for Italy, but Arsenal hopeful he can face Tottenham

Riccardo Calafiori has been ruled out of the Italy squad for tonight’s World Cup qualifier with Norway, but Arsenal are confident he’ll be ready to face Tottenham.

The match kicks off at San Siro this evening at 19.45 GMT.

The defender had already skipped Thursday’s 2-0 victory in Moldova with a hip issue and never returned to full training with the rest of his Azzurri teammates.

Coach Gennaro Gattuso confirmed that although Calafiori had ‘pushed,’ it was not fair to risk the former Bologna player for Italy or Arsenal.

According to the latest reports, Arsenal doctors spoke with the Italy medical staff and agreed that Calafiori will nonetheless be ready to play in the North London Derby against Tottenham next weekend.

He is not returning to London early, though, as he wants to be in the stands to cheer on his teammates in their final 2026 World Cup qualifier.

The result is going to be largely irrelevant, as even if Italy win and move to the top on the same points as Norway, it would require a 9-0 win to overturn the huge gap in goal difference.

This means the Nazionale are heading to the play-offs in March 2026 for a place at the World Cup.

Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali is also left out, as he is one yellow card away from suspension.

The outstanding cards are all wiped clean after the group stage is completed.