Arsenal star Thomas Partey is set to miss the Manchester City clash, according to reports
(Image credit: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has not travelled with the squad ahead of tonight's top-of-the-table clash with Manchester City.
That's according to rumours, with social media going into meltdown over the idea of the Ghanaian not featuring. Partey was taken off at half-time against City in the FA Cup fourth-round tie, which the Gunners subsequently lost, in part down to their lack of midfield dominance without their key man.
In fact, Partey has either missed or partially missed every game that Arsenal have lost in all competitions this season. Twitter account 'Team news and ticks' is claiming that the Ghanaian hasn't travelled for this game – but these rumours should be taken with a pinch of salt at this stage.
Arsenal players celebrate Thomas Partey's goal in the 3-1 win over Tottenham (Image credit: Getty Images)
Partey actually trained with the Arsenal side yesterday and the injury sustained against City in the cup didn't keep him out of either Premier League fixture against Everton or Brentford.
Erling Haaland is apparently a doubt on the opposite side – so it is perhaps a case of mind games from Mikel Arteta.
Regardless, Arsenal are in a much stronger position to compete against City without Partey, having signed Jorginho in January. The Italian international made his debut in the defeat at Goodison Park but is the best natural fit to play as a lone No.6.
Arsenal also have Jakub Kiwior capable of playing in defensive midfield.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Jorginho could step into the breach (Image credit: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
It is likely that City will line up similarly to how they played against Aston Villa. Guardiola opted for a three-man defence of Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte behind a midfield of Rodri and Bernardo Silva. Riyad Mahrez, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish then sat ahead of them, behind Haaland.
Such a line-up will likely face Arsenal's front three and two No.8s man-for-man.
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
