Arsenal are currently without midfielder Granit Xhaka who is on the sidelines with a knee injury.
The Swiss international has been ruled out for at least three months following the injury sustained in the recent north London derby win over Tottenham.
Xhaka's midfielder partner Thomas Partey has taken on an even more significant role this season after shaking off his own injury issues.
Partey was particularly impressive for Ghana on Saturday as they beat Zimbabwe 3-1, where the 28-year-old showcased what he's capable of producing from midfield.
He scored an excellent goal after winning the ball on the edge of the opposition penalty area, before outwitting the advancing defender and finishing in fine style past the goalkeeper.
Ghana journalist George Addo Jnr described Partey's performance as "top level passing, unreal range and with the accuracy to match. Thomas Partey is such a class act!".
Partey is expected to be named in the match day squad for this afternoon's clash with Norwich City, which would be his first appearance of the campaign following suffering an ankle ligament injury in a pre-season friendly defeat to Chelsea last month.
Arteta spoke in September about the role Partey has to play this season for the Gunners.
He said: “He’s been missed for the last year or so because he missed almost six months of competition last year, which is a lot.
“He also came very late in the transfer window [last year]. It’s a player that has to be one of the leaders, he has to be the boss in midfield and one of the senior players that has to carry responsibility and lead the young players. We have been missing that big time.
“He’s a player that has that winning culture because he has won a lot in the game already. To have this kind of players in the team is extremely important. He has a huge role to play in the team.”
