Arsenal faces a crucial 90 minutes that will set the tone for the rest of their season when they face Benfica in the return leg of their Europa League match.
The Gunners drew the first leg “away” 1-1 and that has given them the chance to still progress when they face the same team in the “home” leg tonight.
It is a game that Mikel Arteta says his team considers a “final” and they will need all their best players to execute a perfect game plan.
One player that has been out of their team for some time now is Thomas Partey.
In an early boost ahead of the game, the Ghanaian returned to training with the rest of the squad just before they travelled.
Earlier in the day, Arteta wasn’t giving so much away about his availability for the game, even though he admitted the midfielder was close to a return.
After missing the last three games through muscular problems, Football London reports that he has travelled with the Arsenal squad to face Benfica in Athens.
The report didn’t say if the midfielder is fit enough to start the encounter or if he is just travelling to be with the other players.
If he is fit enough to play some part in the game, it will be a major boost for the Gunners as he has always delivered when he takes to the field for them.
I hope it will be all be partey time after the final whistle.
Hopefully stays fit for a run of more than 3games instead of 3months on the treatment table.
Huge player and miss when not available. Hes our Marquee Midfielder that the team will be built around for the next 4-5years along with Tierney, Saka, SmithRowe and Martinelli.
Likes of Xhaka, Elneny, Holding, Auba, Laca, Willian & Pepe can all be replaced no doubt
Stop mentioning martinelli in Arteta ‘s team, he definitely has something against that guy and I know very soon something will come out at the end of the season. He may even request for transfer because it’s difficult to be watching your age mates play every time in which some of them are not even up to your standard when you are not injured. For now Arteta is a special coach at Arsenal he can not do anything wrong to some people.
For Gods sake, this boy got an injury, forcing him out of many games that followed.
The numbers he can play are crowded by either senior players or Artetas favourites.
That is the point, Arteta ‘s favourites not merited and deserved players. And main reason we are eleventh on the table