Arsenal sweating over Thomas Partey’s fitness ahead of Premier League clash vs Liverpool

Arsenal are hopeful that Thomas Partey will overcome his thigh injury ahead of the Premier League clash at Liverpool next weekend, Goal’s Charles Watts claims.

The Ghanaian suffered the problem before the league clash against Watford last weekend, and he now appears to be facing a race against time to face the Reds.

Partey was absent for Ghana’s World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia in midweek, and he is highly likely to miss the country’s final group stage game against South Africa.

His absence proved a big blow for the Black Stars on Thursday as they dropped two costly points. They now must beat South Africa by two clear goals to make the play-offs.

The west African nation will have to deal without the presence of their talismanic midfielder. However, the Gunners are hopeful that Partey will be fit for the Merseyside trip.

Our view:

Arsenal had a mixed performance against Watford last weekend. Ainsley Maitland-Niles was picked in Partey’s injury absence and he came up with an assured performance.

However, the same was not the case with Albert Sambi Lokonga. The Belgian had an average showing and was guilty of squandering possession in key defensive situations.

Fortunately, none of his errors were capitalised upon. They can’t afford such lapses against Jurgen Klopp’s side despite the fact that they are also dealing with injury concerns.

Based on the recent showing, Mikel Arteta could prefer to partner Maitland-Niles alongside Partey, and it remains to be seen whether the latter passes the fitness tests.

The £36m-rated star was rushed back from an injury during the first half of last season, which resulted in him suffering another setback that took longer to recover from.

With Granit Xhaka on the sidelines until January, the Gunners can ill afford Partey’s extended absence. They need to handle him with caution ahead of the festive schedule.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

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