Partey to start? How Arsenal could line up against Newcastle

8:34am on Monday 18th January 2021
By Nicholas Hughes

Thomas Partey could be set to return to the starting lineup for Arsenal as they look to extend their unbeaten league run to five games on Monday night.

The Ghanaian played just over 20 minutes of the 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace last Thursday, his first minutes since the North London Derby on December 6.

After arriving from Atletico Madrid late on in the summer transfer window, Partey showed good early promise for the Gunners and fans will no doubt be hoping to see more from him over the coming months.

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Another boost for Mikel Arteta is the likely return of Kieran Tierney at left-back after the Scot was forced out of the Palace clash with a calf injury.

The former Celtic man has been arguably Arsenal’s best player this season and should slot right back into the starting XI as the Gunners continue to hunt down the teams in the top half.

Alongside him in defence, there is a chance for Gabriel to play his first minutes in almost a month. The Brazilian was sent off in his last league outing – a draw with Southampton – and hasn’t played at all since the 4-1 League Cup defeat to Manchester City.

But with Rob Holding and David Luiz forming a solid partnership during this mini upturn in form, the summer signing from Lille will likely to have to wait a little longer to step onto the pitch again.

The Gunners are otherwise fully fit apart from Pablo Mari, who Arteta has confirmed will miss the next few matches.

Arsenal defeated Newcastle in the FA Cup just over a week ago, needing extra time to eventually win 2-0 with what was a rotated squad.

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The XI for this one is likely to look quite different, from that clash and much more resemblant of the side that faced Palace.

Emile Smith-Rowe and Bukayo Saka have been shining lights for the club and huge success stories for the academy, and both should start again alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and top scorer Alexandre Lacazette in the attacking positions.

While other teams around them have faltered during the Christmas and New Year period, Arsenal have so far used this time to shoot up the table and are looking to join right back into the European conversation with a win here.