Mikel Arteta could see the return of three players for the game against NewcastleCredit: Getty
4
Gabriel Jesus is in contention to feature at the Emirates this weekendCredit: AP
And in another boost, boss Mikel Arteta believes left-back Jurrien Timber could return before the end of the campaign after recovering from ACL surgery.
However, Takehiro Tomiyasu is not expected to face the Toon with calf issues still troubling the Japanese full-back.
Partey [thigh] has been out since October and had a small set-back a few weeks ago, but returned to full training last week.
Arteta is keen not to rush the Ghanaian midfielder back too soon, but is more confident the minor knocks to Jesus [knee] and Zinchenko [calf] could be resolved for Saturday, meaning Arsenal could soon have a fully fit squad for the title run-in.
The Spanish coach explained on Partey’s status: "Let’s see. We have another session today. He’s been out for many, many months now.
"We need to really nail the timing of when he has enough in the tank to compete. But I think he’s very close. Same with Gabi. He’s done a few things. And Oleks is not far too.
"Tomiyasu still a little bit more."
When asked if Timber could return before the end of the campaign, he added: "I really hope so. He’s doing really well. He’s been with some players on the pitch. He’s going to start to do some bits with us on the pitch in the next week or so.
