Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is expected to miss the huge clash against Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium tonight, football.london understands. The Ghana international has been integral to Mikel Arteta's team this season and his absence would be a huge blow.
Mikel Arteta revealed that he was facing no new injury concerns ahead of the match against City tonight in his pre-match press conference. It looks as though Partey will now miss the game, however, after picking up a suspected muscular injury.
Partey's absence is not thought to be serious but the lack of his presence in midfield could prove to be a huge blow to Arsenal's chances of picking up a win. January transfer signing Jorginho seems like the obvious option to replace Partey in the starting lineup and Arteta will hope the Italian can make a strong impact and help extend the Gunners lead at the top of the table to six points.
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The Ghanaian midfielder's role as the holding midfielder has been pivotal to allowing Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard have more of an impact on matches. His physicality and ability to win back possession in key areas of the pitch has been crucial in helping Arsenal dominate games, especially at home against tougher opposition.
Partey scored in the North London Derby earlier this season at the Emirates Stadium and has impressed in matches against Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. The 29-year-old is having his best season and Arteta will hope that he recovers quickly from injury.
City are renowned for their brilliant midfield and ability to retain possession and Partey's absence will give Pep Guardiola's side a huge boost in their chances of causing an upset tonight. It now falls on Jorginho to prove he was a smart signing and show his quality despite lacking a similar physical presence to Partey as Arsenal prepare for the huge clash this evening.
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