Arsenal battle Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League semifinals, but they'll do so in the first leg without one of their most important midfield players.
The Premier League campaign is over for Arsenal. Liverpool are champions, so all that's left to do is secure qualification for next season's Champions League campaign. Their sole focus is on lifting a trophy that has eluded the club. It would be a massive success for Mikel Arteta after coming up short in three domestic league campaigns.
Arsenal are 180 minutes against PSG away from a final in Munich, Germany. The first 90 at home, despite a win earlier in the campaign against Luis Enrique's team, could prove to be difficult without Thomas Partey.
Why Thomas Partey Isn't Playing for Arsenal vs. PSG in the Champions League
Thomas Partey is suspended for the first leg after picking up a yellow card in the quarterfinals second leg against Real Madrid. It was his third yellow card of the competition meaning he'll miss the first 90 minutes of the semifinals. He will be available for the second leg at Parc des Princes, but the Gunners must navigate the first leg without a core piece that dominated Real Madrid.
Who Will Replace Thomas Partey?
Arsenal defeated PSG 2-0 in the league phase back in October deploying a 4-4-2 formation to account for Martin Odegaard's injury. Partey started that game, but was substituted in the 64th minute for Mikel Merino.
Since that game, Arsenal have dealt with multiple injuries to the attack forcing Mikel Arteta to deploy Merino at striker. Jorginho is also out having suffered a chest injury against Brentford in the Premier League. Arteta likely won't want to restrict Declan Rice given how pivotal he was against Real Madrid, so Arteta could drop Merino into midfield. In doing so, Leandro Trossard is the likely option to start at striker between Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Thomas Partey Isn't Playing for Arsenal vs. PSG in the Champions League.
