LONDON — Mikel Arteta has been handed a double injury blow heading into Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Real Madrid with both Thomas Partey and Jorginho suffering injuries that forced them out of Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brentford.
Partey was withdrawn in the 69th minute, soon after opening the scoring with an overlapping run off Declan Rice and near-post finish. Arteta declined to clarify what exactly caused the Ghanaian international to been forced off — it appeared to be a muscular issue that forced him down — only saying Partey had “felt something.”
Jorginho came off soon after, leaving in discomfort as Arsenal were reduced to 10 men for the final four minutes plus stoppage time.
“He said he could not breathe properly,” Arteta said of the veteran midfielder, “it might be to do with one of the ribs. It is strange because Jorgi normally carries on, so that means it is something significant, I think.”
As to Partey, Arteta’s response was more circumspect. “He felt something, so we didn’t want to take any risks,” he said. “We don’t know [if he will be available for Wednesday], I haven’t spoken to the doctors yet, so they will check him now and see how he is.”
Losing one of Partey or Jorginho, particularly the former, would certainly present a challenge as Arsenal head to the Santiago Bernabeu three goals to the good. Being without both would be an altogether bigger headache, robbing Arteta of both is the most obvious options at the base of the midfield. Rice could drop back having played in a more advanced role in the first leg but that would only create further issues. Would Mikel Merino do the same, switching from center forward to midfield and leaving a hole in attack that presumably only the struggling Leandro Trossard could fill?
The dual absence at the base of midfield is not the only issue to arise since the stunning 3-0 triumph on Tuesday night. Ben White, who played the last minute of that win, was nowhere to be seen on Saturday after suffering a knock in training. Arteta said: “He could not be in condition to be in the squad today and be selected, so we have a few days, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
This has proven to be something of a cursed season on the injury front for Arsenal. Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka have both missed several months, the latter one of three players to require surgery on their hamstrings this season. Gabriel’s will rule him out for the remainder of the campaign while Kai Havertz’s involvement in the final weeks is touch and go.
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