Riccardo Calafiori Stars in Arsenal's Lineup Against Chelsea

Riccardo Calafiori’s surge through the early weeks of the season has earned him another marquee stage. Mikel Arteta has kept faith with the Italy international, naming him in Arsenal’s starting XI for Sunday’s London derby against Chelsea.

The defender, shortlisted for the Premier League’s August Player of the Month, has started the campaign in full stride. Two games, two assists, and a growing sense that Arsenal have added a defender who treats the left flank as a runway rather than a boundary line.

Arteta again stations Calafiori nominally at left-back, but that label barely tells the story. Once the whistle goes, he steps high, drifts inside, and helps Arsenal overload midfield and the half-spaces. It’s become a clear feature of the champions’ early-season blueprint.

On the other side, Chelsea’s Italian option stays in the stands. Marco Palestra misses out once more, still held back by a minor fitness issue, leaving the visitors without their own Azzurri influence in this derby.

The last time these fans saw Calafiori here, he was at the heart of it. On August 21 at Emirates Stadium, he combined with Kai Havertz as Arsenal pushed through another Premier League test, the German forward celebrating his side’s opener with the Italian at his shoulder.

Now comes Chelsea, the noise, the needle, the familiar tension of a capital clash – and Arteta leans on the same core.

Arsenal XI vs Chelsea

Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard; Saka, Tzolis, Havertz.

Calafiori has the shirt, the form, and the stage. Chelsea know exactly which flank will roar into life first.