“Partey and Jorginho will miss out against Real Madrid”- Mikel Arteta has now decided which Arsenal player could replace Thomas Partey vs Real Madrid if he’s injured
Thomas Partey’s latest injury could be bad news for Arsenal as their upcoming clash against Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
In the first leg, the Arsenal midfielder played an instrumental role in the hosts winning the midfield battle at the Emirates Stadium — being very press-resistant, winning duels and always finding Myles Lewis-Skelly in space when he was under pressure.
But concerns are starting to emerge about whether Thomas Partey will be fit to start for Mikel Arteta’s side on Wednesday night.
Partey has experience at the Santiago Bernabeu and the Ghanaian’s revelation about advising his teammates to play their natural game in the lead-up to the contest is an insight into his desire to win the game.
Thomas Frank lauded Mikel Merino’s displays up top but he could certainly be an option Mikel Arteta could trial in midfield against Real Madrid in the blockbuster Champions League shown to replace Partey.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could play Mikel Merino in midfield v Real Madrid if Thomas Partey is injured
The challenge for Mikel Arteta is to decide which midfielder to play in case Partey is indeed deemed unavailable, as while Merino is a natural midfielder, so is Myles Lewis-Skelly and he looked the part in the first leg against Real Madrid as an inverted left-back.
Arteta would not like to impact the balance of his midfield in Partey’s possible absence and with Mikel Merino performing up front at the Emirates Stadium, he may well wish to stick with him as a makeshift striker.
AS can reveal that Mikel Arteta is likely to field Merino in the middle of the park, which would prompt Declan Rice to anchor the midfield if Partey is sidelined through injury.
Leandro Trossard’s possible inclusion against Real Madrid could become a reality in that case as he could lead the line instead of the Spanish midfielder, with Jorginho ruled out of the fixture through injury.
Thomas Partey injury update ahead of Real Madrid vs Arsenal
Partey could leave Arsenal this summer and ideally, he would like to play as major a role as he can as Mikel Arteta’s side are in the pursuit of their first Champions League trophy.
But the former Atletico Madrid anchor’s time in North London has often been marred due to injuries.
Partey’s injury is not considered serious and he was only taken off against Brentford in the 69th minute due to precautionary reasons.
Journalist Charles Watts revealed: “From my understanding, and it’s very, very early days, initially is that it’s precaution and there isn’t too much concern that it’s going to affect him playing against Real Madrid in mid-week.”
“Thomas Partey would definitely start against Real Madrid if he was fit, so if he was out it would be a major, major blow to Arsenal, the way he was playing in the first leg. But yes, my understanding and very initial prognosis of why Thomas Partey went off is that he felt something a little bit worrying and they didn’t want to take any chances.”
Merino is experienced and he will relish the opportunity of potentially taking his place in Arsenal’s midfield against Real Madrid, if Mikel Arteta does start him in a deeper role in the Spanish capital.