Declan Rice replacement vs Nottingham Forest clear as Riccardo Calafiori sends Arsenal message

Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has insisted he is raring to return for the Gunners this afternoon ahead of the visit of Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

Calafiori missed the last three Premier League fixtures before the international break with a knee injury but Mikel Arteta confirmed in his press conference that the Italian would be fit to return today. It would be a timely return for the left-back who has suffered a difficult start to life in North London with a couple of injuries derailing his momentum.

Thankfully, those problems seem to be behind him for now at least with the defender set to start at the Emirates Stadium. Posting to his Instagram story on Friday night, Calafiori shared a picture of himself in training with the caption: "We are so back," which was soon followed up this morning by a match graphic.

Ahead of kick-off, there is some concern that Declan Rice will not be fit to start against the East Midlands club. The midfielder pulled out of England duty these past couple of weeks and Jorginho's hint on social media suggests the Italian could be his replacement.

The central midfielder posted his own image advertising today's game on the social media site. While not a surefire giveaway for who is set to start or feature, use of the match graphic is often an indication that the player is set to feature in the forthcoming match. The Gunners also hinted that Gabriel Martinelli could be starting this afternoon, too, after his image was used on the match graphic shared to Arsenal's official Instagram page in the build-up to the game.

For Arsenal, this afternoon presents itself as a huge game as they look to re-establish themselves in the title race. Prior to kick-off on Matchday 12, Arteta's men sit nine points behind leaders Liverpool and only inside the top four by merit of a one-goal better goal difference to today's visitors Forest. Victory shall close the gap to six points for at least 24 hours with the Merseyside club not playing until tomorrow.

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