Arsenal dealt huge injury blow ahead of crunch Man City clash

The rumours are true, folks. Thomas Partey will miss Wednesday night’s crunch Premier League clash against Manchester City due to injury.

The tension is ramping ahead of the mammoth duel as Arsenal seek to stride away from the Citizens at the top of the table. An indifferent run of form has seen the Gunners’ lead shrink to just three points, and victory for the visitors at the Emirates will see them usurp Mikel Arteta’s side at the summit.

It’s a huge game, the biggest at the Emirates for years, but the Gunners will be without an instrumental figure.

Arsenal dealt huge injury blow ahead of crunch Man City clash

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As Arsenal fans continued to discuss their unbearable nerves, social media murmurs began to manifest of Partey potentially missing out. While the Ghanaian trained all week in the build-up to the contest, reports emerged that he hadn’t joined up with the team ahead of the game.

Nothing was concrete, however, with many disregarding the news as mere speculation.

But then the bomba arrived.

GOAL’s Charles Watts and The Athletic’s David Ornstein have both since reported that the midfielder will miss tonight’s game after picking up a muscular injury. While the injury isn’t believed to be serious, his absence against the Citizens will be hard felt.

January arrival Jorginho is a sure bet to start in his place, and while the Italian endured a rather nightmarish cameo on debut at Goodison Park ten days ago, he’s got plenty of experience and has competed in plenty of high-stake contests like this one.

Still, the news is far from ideal and there’s no doubt that Mikel Arteta’s machine won’t function with optimal efficiency in Partey’s absence. The 29-year-old has been nothing short of superb this season, and this is set to be the first Premier League game he’ll miss since September.

Let’s hope he’s back ready in time for Saturday’s trip to Villa Park.