Mikel Arteta set to unleash new-look £180m Arsenal midfield against Man City after injury boost

As Arsenal approach the run-in to the season, things seem to be shaping up rather nicely. The Gunners head into the international break on top of the Premier League after leapfrogging Manchester City and Liverpool with victory over Brentford last week. They have also booked their place in the Champions League quarter-final for the first time in 14 years where they will face familiar foes Bayern Munich.

Despite how well things have been going though, there is a daunting look to the run in for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta's side will have to travel to the Etihad Stadium, Old Trafford and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where they realistically need as close to maximum points as possible if they are to win the league. Equally if they get beyond Bayern in the Champions League then they face a semi-final against one of Real Madrid or Manchester City.

With so many huge fixtures on the horizon, Arteta will be glad that most of his squad seem to be returning at just the right time from injury. Gabriel Jesus, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Fabio Vieira, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Emile Smith Rowe have all made comebacks from spells on the sidelines, while Jurrien Timber is set to feature in the business end of the campaign after being absent since August due to an ACL injury.

Another player who is set to finally feature more regularly during the run in is Thomas Partey. The Ghanaian has played just 41 minutes of football since August after a spate of muscle injuries, but returned to the squad prior to the international break for games against Sheffield United, Brentford and Porto.

Partey began the season at right-back, but it's in midfield where he has made his name at Arsenal. Last season, the 30-year-old was pivotal in the number six position, and although