Mikel Arteta has revealed that he didn't expect Thomas Partey to be fit for Sunday's north London derby against Tottenham.
The midfielder, who arrived from Atletico Madrid in the summer for £45m, has not featured in any of Arsenal’s last four matches in all competitions, including the win over Rapid Vienna.
But after taking part in training ahead of the match, Arteta explained why he decided to start the Ghanaian alongside Granit Xhaka in midfield.
"He’s great. He’s been very pushy, we didn’t expect him to be fit for the game. He’s been training very well in the last few days and we wanted to play him.”
Arsenal have lost five out of their last eight Premier League games and face a tough task coming up against title challengers Spurs, who can go top of the table with a win over their north London rivals.
However, Arteta remains confident that his players can put in the required performance to overcome Jose Mourinho's side, insisting that victory over Tottenham would breath new life into his team.
“I think it would change the mood completely. It’s not just the game, it’s the occasion," he said.
"I’m so privileged to be part of this beautiful game and we’re here to win. I hope so, the way that we’re gonna approach it is gonna serve us to change the situation we’re in, in the league, and we have the perfect game to do that.
"Go and win the game, the way we did it last year, we lost due to small details - we have to correct those and do our best. They are a threat, at the moment they are in consistent form but we can beat them."
