Arsenal have been boosted by Thomas Partey and Ben White being declared fit to face Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie tonight.
Partey was a doubt for Wednesday’s game at the Santiago Bernabeu after going off 20 minutes before the end of Arsenal’s draw with Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday
However, the Ghana midfielder trained on Tuesday morning and is part of the squad to face Real Madrid on Wednesday.
“He is available,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said of Partey at his pre-match press conference. “He had a little niggle during the game [against Brentford], that’s why he had to come off. But he felt good after the last few days so he’s fine.
Partey is expected to start at the base of midfield, with Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard alongside him.
Arsenal are looking to book a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2009 and go into the second leg in a strong position.
The Gunners won the first leg at the Emirates Stadium last week 3-0 thanks to two free-kicks by Rice and a Mikel Merino goal.
Merino is expected to lead the line at the Bernabeu after being named on the bench for the draw with Brentford.
The Spaniard should be flanked on the wings by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, although Leandro Trossard could possibly start in place of the latter.
At the back, Jakub Kiwior is expected to keep his place alongside William Saliba after excelling in the absence of the injured Gabriel.
Myles Lewis-Skelly and Jurrien Timber should be the full-backs, even though Arsenal have been boosted by the fact that White is available. The right-back missed the draw with Brentford after picking up a knock in training, but trained on Tuesday morning.
Raheem Sterling is back available and in the squad after missing the first leg through suspension, though Jorginho has not travelled after being injured against Brentford
The Italian midfielder joins long-term absentees Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu on the sidelines. Riccardo Calafiori is also still out, along with Gabriel.
