Arsenal team news update: Partey and Aubameyang remain doubts for Liverpool trip

Premier League football returns this weekend as Arsenal travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool in Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off.

Ahead of the game, Gunner boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference this morning and he’s provided an update on the fitness of key duo Thomas Partey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Partey was forced to miss Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Watford at the Emirates Stadium before the international break due to a groin injury and was subsequently ruled out of Ghana’s World Cup qualifiers.

The 28-year-old has worked hard over the past two weeks to get himself fit for tomorrow’s game with Liverpool and a team news update on Arsenal.com last night suggested Partey was available for the trip to Anfield.

However, Arteta has played down that suggestion by claiming that Partey still hasn’t been able to prove his fitness so remains a doubt for the huge Premier League clash with Liverpool this weekend.

Aubameyang on the other hand was sent back early from international duty with Gabon and it was initially reported that the Arsenal striker had picked up an injury while away with his country.

Goal journalist Charles Watts then claimed Aubameyang’s return to London Colney was pre-planned and said the striker had no injury issues so was fit and available for selection against Liverpool. The update on Arsenal.com yesterday also suggested Aubameyang was fit after reporting that all first team players were available for selection with the exception of Granit Xhaka and Sead Kolasinac.

Auba still a doubt

However, Arteta has once again played down that suggestion by claiming Aubameyang still needs to be assessed and that his early return from international was not pre-planned and was in fact due to an injury issue.

Arteta is quoted by Football London as saying:

Arteta on Auba coming back early

No it wasn’t pre-planned. We had to assess him and see how he is and make decisions. We have a lot of players who have been through different game issues.

Arteta on Auba’s injury

Let’s see how everybody is. We have to see them today before assessing and seeing how everybody is.

Arteta on Partey’s fitness

He couldn’t play for the national team. He really tried to do that and pushed for that one but wasn’t enough. Again that’s something we have to assess because until today he hasn’t done enough.

We’ll have to wait and see whether Partey or Aubameyang are passed fit to make the trip to Merseyside but this could just be Arteta keeping his cards close to his chest ahead of a vitally important game.

Arsenal head to Anfield sitting just two points adrift of Liverpool in fifth position in the table so a win tomorrow would see them leapfrog Jurgen Klopp’s side into the top four.