Africa Cup of Nations

How Arsenal could line up without Aubameyang, Partey during AFCON

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 24 December 2021

Sports Mole looks at how Arsenal could line up without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Thomas Partey during the Africa Cup of Nations.

Arsenal are set to lose four senior first-team players for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, which takes place from January 9 to February 6, as players prepare to jet off on December 27.

Nicolas Pepe, Mohamed Elneny, Thomas Partey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are all due to represent their respective nations, with the latter two normally key fixtures of Mikel Arteta's side.

Aubameyang has lost the trust of Arteta and the captaincy following yet another disciplinary breach, but the Arsenal boss will have a big call to make in the middle with Partey unavailable.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Arsenal could line up without Aubameyang and Partey during AFCON.

ARS XI without PARTEY, AUBA

With Aubameyang being frozen out of the team in recent weeks, Arteta's choices in the final third will not be impacted too much, with either Alexandre Lacazette or Gabriel Martinelli spearheading the charge.

The latter and Martin Odegaard are both keeping Emile Smith Rowe out of the starting lineup at present, with Bukayo Saka nailed on as the club's first-choice right-winger ahead of Pepe.

With no Elneny or Partey available, it will be a straight toss up between Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Albert Sambi Lokonga for the chance to partner Granit Xhaka in the engine room.

Maitland-Niles's man of the match performance against Watford has not helped him reignite his Arsenal career, so Sambi Lokonga may be the preferred option in the middle of the park.

Arteta's backline will not be affected by the AFCON call-ups, with Kieran Tierney, Gabriel, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Aaron Ramsdale all set to retain their spots until festive rotation sets in.

Tierney's place on the left is not totally secure given the emergence of Nuno Tavares, but the Scot has won back his rightful place in Arteta's XI after a brief spell on the bench.