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Jorginho and Thomas Partey drop Arsenal team news hint as Mikel Arteta makes David Raya claim

Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, arrives at the stadium prior to  the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Arsenal and Bolton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on September 25, 2024
-Credit: (Image: Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)


Jorginho and Thomas Partey has dropped early team news hints ahead of Arsenal's clash against Leicester City. The Gunners will face the Foxes at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon as either side looks to climb the Premier League table.

Leicester City booked themselves a place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night after defeating Walsall on penalties. Then, the following evening, Arsenal followed suit with a 5-1 win over Bolton Wanderers.

Nevertheless, Jorginho and Partey have posted pre-match graphic previews of the Foxes fixture to their respective Instagram stories. Historically, this suggests that the duo will be involved in some capacity.

One player who may not feature against Steve Cooper's side is David Raya; speaking to reporters ahead of the match, Arteta kept his cards close to his chest when he was asked for an update on the goalkeeper, who's been nursing an injury.

When asked how Raya is, he replied: "We have to wait another 24 hours. We have to wait 24 hours to see if it’s looking good or not that good. It’s not about a risk, it’s about a player being fit and available or not.

"When we have that clarity for Leicester, which is the main thing we’re thinking about at the moment, we will make that decision tomorrow (Saturday)."

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Arteta was also asked to provide injury updates on Ben White and Jurrien Timber. The Arsenal boss said: "Jurrien was able to take part in training today (Friday), that’s good news, so he’ll be available in the squad. Hopefully Ben too."

And on Mikel Merino, who suffered a shoulder injury during his first training session after joining from Real Sociedad, Arteta added: "Tomorrow is too soon. Next week we’ll see.

"He had partial training today. He’s been working so hard. It’s looking good. It’s about the healing of the bone and how mature that is to expose him to contact basically."

Martin Odegaard continues to nurse an ankle problem that he suffered during the international break. When asked how he thinks the squad have stepped up in the skipper's absence, Arteta said: "Well, if you put me in this scenario before the season with the fixtures that we had, the three away games that we had and the amount of injuries that we had I would be very pleased with how we got out of that.

"It’s not just with Martin – he’s obviously one of our best players and one of the players who has the biggest impact on the team in many ways - but there are many others as well.

"The team has coped exceptionally well. We have an exceptional group. A lot of players are taking a role in their leadership of the team. They embraced the challenge and I’m really happy for that."

With that being said, Arteta will be relying on the likes of Jorginho and Partey to step up and guide Arsenal to victory. While several players will have posted pre-match previews of the Leicester City game to their Instagram stories before kick-off, it does not necessarily mean they will definitely start.