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Thomas Partey's absence was hard-felt in the first leg of Arsenal's Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, but will they have the Ghanaian available on Wednesday night?
The midfielder has stayed injury free this season and performed well enough to seemingly earn a new contract in north London after it looked like he'd be departing the club as a free agent in June.
Partey has struggled for consistent rhythm since joining the club from Atletico Madrid in 2020, and many were seemingly ready to cut ties. However, the 31-year-old has played a key role in the club's continental journey so far, and Arteta desperately needs him in Paris.
Is Partey eligible to play?
Why did Thomas Partey miss the semi-final first leg vs PSG?
Oh, it was so unnecessary.
Arsenal were five minutes away from the last four when Partey got involved with former Gunner Dani Ceballos after Antonio Rudiger had won Real Madrid a free-kick. Partey sent Ceballos to the ground, earning a yellow card for his petulant lash out.
Declan Rice's reaction told the whole story. A collective "Why the f*** did you do that?" was uttered in dismay. It wasn't the time to get caught up in potential implications for the semi-final, but even after Gabriel Martinelli sealed Arsenal's memorable victory at the Bernabeu, a thought lingered regarding the significance of Partey's impending absence.
The Ghanaian had picked up his third yellow card of the competition, which earned him a one-game suspension. Partey was five minutes away from a clean slate, with yellow card hauls reset to zero at the start of the semi-finals across all UEFA club competitions.
Not his wisest move.
Is Thomas Partey eligible to play in Paris?
Partey's absence proved significant in the first leg, as PSG cut through the Gunners centrally inside four minutes and opened the scoring through Ousmane Dembele.
Would Partey have been able to prevent Dembele from receiving Nuno Mendes' scything pass before scoring from the edge of the box? Perhaps not. Nevertheless, Partey's physicality in the middle of the park was sorely missed in the opening exchanges as PSG's midfield triumvirate set the tone by winning duels and passing their way around the visitors.
Partey was brilliant in both legs against Real Madrid, and shone in the first meeting between these two teams back in October. He's a player who can divide opinion, and one who certainly isn't without flaws with and without the ball, but Rice outlined his importance to the team ahead of the second leg.
"The best thing about playing with Thomas [Partey] is the calmness he brings to play with the team," the Englishman said. "Before I came to Arsenal there was so much talk about how good he is.
"He doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves."
Rice will be grateful that Partey is eligible to return to Arteta's starting lineup in Paris after he served his one-game suspension last week. His inclusion will free up Rice to perform a more advanced midfield role, where his powerful ball-carrying and athleticism could help break PSG's defensive structure.