Arsenal handed major Thomas Partey selection boost

Arsenal are preparing to host Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg on Thursday and their lack of options in midfield is genuine cause for concern.

Since the Tottenham match was postponed there have been welcome returns to training for a large contingent, however.

Among those back with the senior side are Emile Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard, two players who missed the first leg of this tie with injury and Covid respectively. Arsenal have let players depart the club since the 0-0 draw, but these returns, along with others, mean there are no concerns over the fixture going ahead.

Mikel Arteta’s lineup for Liverpool will only contain one central midfielder, though. Despite players becoming available for selection, the point remains that Albert Sambi Lokonga is the only senior option for the role.

Arsenal handed major Thomas Partey selection boost ahead of Burnley match with Ghanaian expected back following AFCON elimination

Granit Xhaka’s red card helped see to that, and his suspension will also carry over onto Sunday when the Gunners are playing host to Burnley in the Premier League.

While desperately unfortunate for him, Thomas Partey has helped Arsenal considerably on that front. His Ghana side were stunned in their final group stage match of the Africa Cup of Nations as minnows Comoros recorded their first ever victory in the competition with a 3-2 win over the Black Stars, a result that knocked Partey’s men out at the first hurdle.

His very brief spell away from north London boosted hopes that he could be available to face the Clarets – even if there were some wild suggestions he’d have landed and got on a taxi straight to the Emirates for Thursday – and those hopes have been boosted by Simon Collings.

The 28-year-old has landed in London and it’s now expected, not quite confirmed, that he will be available for the final league match of the month. If he’s back on familiar soil already, however, it will be a surprise if he isn’t. Incredibly, if he plays as is hoped, he will have not missed a single top-flight match and, even more remarkably, just three matches in total.

"“It was a huge disappointment for Thomas obviously because he was representing his country and in this period he had big aims towards the competition,” Arteta said of Partey’s return in his pre-match press conference.“He’s out now so he will be fully focused and involved with Arsenal as soon as possible.”"

Indeed, the sooner the better.