Against Liverpool, Arsenal Without Thomas Partey

Thomas Partey. (Doc. Instagram/@thomasparty5)

JAKARTA Arsenal defender Thomas Partey is confirmed to be absent during the big match against Liverpool in the Premier League which will take place on Sunday night (WIB), February 4, at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners coach Mikel Arteta confirmed that Thomas Partey would not be available for an important match against the Reds after a setback for injury recovery.

The 30-year-old last appeared to defend Meriam London in the match against Manchester City, last October 8. At that time, Partey had to enter the treatment room due to hamstring problems.

Partey, who has only played five games for Arsenal this season, is soon absent for the remainder of the calendar year after undergoing surgery, although initially there was optimism that he would perform optimally again in January.

After three months of rehabilitation, Partey was seen fully training with the Gunners ahead of the match against Nottingham Forest. Although finally, the Ghanaian's condition was declared unsuitable for the match that Arsenal won.

In a press conference ahead of the match against Liverpool, Mikel Arteta confirmed that Partey was injured again and his party did not yet know when the former Atletico Madrid player would return.

"Unfortunately with Thomas, we experienced a slight setback a few days ago. He will not be available in the squad. We'll see if it's just a matter of days or weeks. But he's been through a bit," Arteta said as reported by Football London.

"I'm not a doctor, but he feels something in a very similar area and he hasn't been able to train in the last few days," he continued.

Partey whose career at Arsenal has been damaged by fitness problems since his 2020 move from Atletico will be one of four players who have been ruled out this weekend, along with Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jurrien Timber and Fabio Vieira.

However, Arteta confirmed that Gabriel Jesus had been practicing normally all week after suffering an injury to his knee, while Mohamed Elneny would also likely return to the domestic competition after Egypt was eliminated in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Currently, Arsenal are in third place in the Premier League standings with 46 points. Mikel Arteta's men trailed by five points from Liverpool who were at the top of the standings. The last match between the two teams occurred in the third round of the FA Cup on January 7 where the Reds won two goals without reply.