Thomas Partey, after having recovered from a groin injury, is now battling a second, unspecified muscular problem. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, earlier this week, described this as “a big concern,” as the midfielder will be out a few weeks.
And earlier tonight, you certainly saw that cause for concern, as the Gunners were absolutely routed in the EFL Cup round of 16 by West Ham United. Martin Odegaard scored very near the death, to prevent a clean sheet, but the 3-1 result still tells the story of this match accurately enough.
Arsenal FC vs Newcastle Unitedย FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Nov 4, 5:30pm GMT, St. James Park
Starting XI Predictions:ย ย Arsenalย ย ย Newcastle
Team News:ย ย Arsenalย ย Newcastle
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Form:ย Arsenalย ย WDWWDย ย ย Newcastleย ย DWDWW
PL Standings: Arsenalย 2nd,ย 24 ptsย ย ย Newcastleย ย 6th, 17 pts
Google Result Probability:ย Arsenalย 38%ย Draw 28%ย ย Newcastle 34%
The north-London side really missed Partey, and that was evident all night long. It was the polar opposite of what happened last weekend versus Sheffield United. However, at least we know that Martin Odegaard is fully fit, and will be available at Newcastle this Saturday.
So should everyone else, outside of Partey, other thanย Gabriel Jesus (thigh) and Jurrien Timber (torn ACL). Jesus should be back in the mix relatively soon, while Timber is probably out for the season.ย
And that covers the situation in full.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager ofย The Sports Bank.ย Heโs also theย author of โTransatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,โ andย โNo, I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.โ
Heโs written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and theย Chicago Tribune.ย He regularly appears onย NTD Newsย andย WGN News Now.ย Follow the websiteย onย Twitterย andย Instagram.
