Lewis-Skelly role, injury wait - Three ways Arsenal can lineup without Thomas Partey vs PSG

With Arsenal's current injury issues, losing Thomas Partey suspension was nothing short of a nightmare. He will not be able to play in the Champions League semi-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain.

Despite appearing to be on his way out this summer, Mikel Arteta has had to lean on Partey an increasing amount this season.

This does not help Arteta solve the big dilemma ahead of welcoming PSG. The only saving grace is that he has two matches and a sizeable gap between hosting Crystal Palace and playing PSG, to find an answer.

The head coach has warned against looking too much into the upcoming games for a hint as to what is coming. "We have a few options and we're not going to give anything away," he said on Friday.

Partey will be a massive absence for Arsenal. He was crucial to the effort in Madrid on Wednesday and has helped to add steel alongside Declan Rice.

With injuries across the squad - but mainly in defence and attack - the midfield has become a pillar for Arsenal's chances in the Champions League.

All eyes are now on Arteta.

Here, football.london examines the ways Arsenal could go about replacing Partey.

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Jorginho hope

The simple answer is possibly the most effective. With Partey out, bringing in another natural midfielder is the most obvious remedy. Jorginho is the only other senior option in the squad.

That ruled him out of the second leg in Madrid and right now it is uncertain if he will be available to play PSG either.

"That's probably a question for the doctor," . "It's quite a specific and difficult matter, so I will leave that to the club to make an analysis."

If Jorginho is fit then he comes in and the problem is mostly solved. Partey and Jorginho and worlds apart in style and physicality but the Italian does have experience and knowhow at this level. It would also stop tinkering to other areas.

Possible XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli.

Lewis-Skelly rescue mission

Should Jorginho be out, as he will be for Ipswich Town this weekend, which allows for a brief look at what Arsenal may do against PSG if the worst is to come true, then Arteta will have to get creative. Luckily he has a tactical chameleon in his ranks.

He came through in the centre of the park but is now favoured at full-back. He will often play both roles in the same game as Arsenal look to build-up in-possession.

However, without Jorginho it is only a small step for him to move permanently into a midfield role. When asked if it has entered his head, Arteta said, "It will be down to the availability of players in that moment."

Moving Lewis-Skelly from left-back does then leave a spot open in defence. Arteta has some options there as well but it will be fitness dependent.

"So, who is available, who is able as well to do that, for how long in-game?" Arteta said, speaking through his thought process on Friday. "Because I know we have players that they could not play 90 minutes. So once we are closer to that game, we can decide."

His two main options are to move Jurrien Timber from right to left and then to add Ben White into the starting XI. White has been in and out of the side through injury all season and would need to build some fitness first. If it isn't this way round then Riccardo Calafiori could go to left-back with Timber staying on the right.

Calafiori is a doubt himself and has been out since the international break. There is a chance he will be back for PSG. "If everything goes well, I think so," Arteta said of his versatile defender. "Maybe a little bit earlier. So, let's see.

"He's on the pitch already, he's done quite a lot of stuff and we just need to make the right steps now to make sure that when he's back he's in a good place to perform."

Possible XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Kiwior, Timber; Odegaard, Lewis-Skelly, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli.

It could also be: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Calafiori; Odegaard, Lewis-Skelly, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli.

The other change to debate is adding Oleksandr Zinchenko. He has been a bit-part player this season but may well need to be called on given the circumstances. If neither Calafiori or White were ready to play then he could slot in at left-back. There is an even smaller chance that he plays in midfield having done the hybrid inverting role previously under Pep Guardiola and during his first year at Arsenal.

Moving Merino

As with the lineups above, this one would mean plugging gaps elsewhere in the team. Instead of shifting the defence around, it is the attack that would be impacted.

When signed over the summer, Mikel Merino was not sounded out as a striker. Duty has called, though, and since February he has stepped up.

As the closest profile in the squad to Kai Havertz, Merino is a target man and Arsenal's focal point. Nevertheless, he is a midfielder at heart and Arteta could choose to put him back alongside Rice in Partey's absence.

If that was the case then one of Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Martinelli would need to deputise through the middle. They are much more aligned with a false nine and could drift away, creating wide overloads, where Arsenal are at their most dangerous.

Possible XI: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli.

Whatever Arteta does, he will give it his full attention and consideration. "It depends on the players as well if they are comfortable doing certain things and how we can maximise our qualities in relation to the game we expect against them," he explained.

As for what might be seen in the two games before welcoming PSG? "As always, a balance. Understanding what the priorities are. The priority is one or is it another? [The Premier League or the Champions League]

"And then as well, making sure that players are comfortable and feeling the position that they have to play in such a big match. But as I said, the priority now is to win in the Premier League."