Arsenal return to action on Wednesday night in the Champions League as a trip to the San Siro awaits.
Mikel Arteta’s side will be desperate to win against Inter Milan in a bid to turn recent form around.
The Gunners are winless in their previous three Premier League games and were far more convincing at the Emirates in the Champions League.
On match day three of the tournament, Arsenal narrowly beat Shakhtar Donetsk in North London, with match day four about to hand Arteta a whole new challenge.
Lukas Podolski shares Riccardo Calafiori verdict
Ahead of the fixture, there’s been a lot of talk about the 2003 edition of the two side’s meeting in the Champions League.
At the San Siro that season, Arsenal ran riot against an Inter side packed full of star talent, as Thierry Henry guided the Gunners to a 5-1 victory.
A fellow former Arsenal star previewed the upcoming fixture, seeing Lukas Podolski sit down with Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport to discuss his two ex-clubs.
Podolski was quizzed about Arteta’s capture of former Serie A defender Riccardo Calfiori in the summer, to which the World Cup winner shared an interesting assessment.
“Arsenal are not a club of inexperienced people, they know what they’re doing and if they spent that money it’s because they believe in the player,” Podolski explained.
“I honestly say he’s not at his best yet, he has to improve, but it’s just a matter of time.”
The former Arsenal winger, who retired from football in October, has backed the Italian to improve at the Emirates, with Podolski almost certain that the defender will level up.
When will Calafiori return from injury?
Arsenal will have a different view on Calafiori, who has shown in the early moments of his Premier League career that he was the missing piece to Arteta’s defensive puzzle.
The Italy international has added much-needed depth and quality to a variety of positions at the back, being capable of playing on either flank and centrally.
It’s equally been a frustrating start for the 22-year-old, who is currently sidelined due to a knee injury he sustained against Shakhtar.
Arteta confirmed that Arsenal will be without the defender for ‘a few weeks’, with an official return date still out of sight.
The Gunners will hope to make a mark in Calafiori’s homeland with a result against Inter although, the outlook would be more positive if the Italian was fit to feature.
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