Mikel Arteta refused to pin Arsenal losing to Paris Saint-Germain on the absence of Thomas Partey (Image: UEFA via Getty Images)

Mikel Arteta downplayed the absence of Thomas Partey for Arsenal after Paris Saint-Germain won their Champions League semi-final first leg – but will welcome the midfielder back from suspension for the return game.

Partey could not play at the Emirates Stadium due to serving a one-match ban for receiving too many yellow cards during this season’s competition but the club will be boosted by his return for the second leg.

The third of those cautions came after an altercation with Antonio Rudiger in the 85th minute of their quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid.

Declan Rice, Gabriel Martinelli and Journey Timber avoided a similar fate. However, Partey fell foul of the UEFA rules.

The quartet, though, have no such worries about further suspensions, as cautions no longer count from the semi-finals onwards.

Therefore, they will all be available to play in Paris, disciplinary-wise.

Asked whether Arsenal missed Partey during the first leg, Arteta said: “I don’t know; I think Declan [Rice] and Mikel [Merino] were enormous tonight.”

However, the Gunners manager did acknowledge Partey “gives options and a different threat. It gives us flexibility to change the game.”

After the match, Arteta repeatedly claimed that, midway through the tie, “it’s half-time” and said, “we have a big chance to be in the final”.

He explained: “My message is exactly the same as it was after we beat Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of the quarter-final.

We have to go to Paris and win the game, and we are more than capable of doing it.

“If you want to win the Champions League final, you have to do something special, and we are going to have to do something special in Paris to be there. We still have a lot of chances to be in that final.”

Arteta acknowledged: “We had two one-on-ones with [Gianluigi] Donnarumma, and if they go in, it is a different story.

But he made the saves, and that’s the difference in the Champions League. The margins are so small, and it didn’t go our way.”

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