Arsenal suffer major suspension blow ahead of PSG Champions League semi-final | OneFootball

Arsenal will have to play without influential midfielder Thomas Partey in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain later this month.

For all that everyone connected with Real Madrid was talking optimistically about an aggregate comeback in the quarter-final – the scale of which has only been achieved four times previously in the history of the Champions League knockouts - the Gunners ultimately cruised through.

The bulk of the work was done in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium, when two quickfire Declan Rice free kicks sent Arsenal on the way to a shock 3-0 win. They even extended that aggregate lead in the return game before Madrid could put a dent in it, and wound up winning 5-1 overall.

However, a blot came in the form of a needless yellow card shown to Partey, who jumped into an angry confrontation late on, after Antonio Rudiger had fouled Mikel Merino. Gabriel Martinelli was yet to put the icing on the cake for Arsenal, but Madrid even at that point still needed three goals in the final few minutes just to force extra-time, rendering the tie effectively over already.

It was Partey's third yellow card in the Champions League this season, equating to a one-game suspension to be served next time out. All three of those bookings have been in his last three European appearances, going eight games without one earlier in the campaign.

Partey played all 180 minutes of the quarter-final, so it is a blow to lose him for leg one against PSG. Teammate Rice made those feelings abundantly clear, berating the Ghana international for what was undoubtedly a needless booking.

Jorginho would be the automatic choice to replace the Ghanaian. But he will first have to recover from a rib injury suffered in the closing stages of last weekend's Premier League draw with Brentford. Oleksandr Zinchenko would be the other alternative. The first PSG game is in 12 days' time.

Jorginho will replace Partey if fit / Marco Canoniero/GettyImages

On the plus side for Arsenal, Rice will not be suspended against the French giants. Having also been shown two yellow cards in the Champions League this season prior to kick-off, he was shown a third when penalised for an apparent foul on Kylian Mbappe in the box.

It would have triggered a suspension, but a reprieve for both Rice and Arsenal came after a lengthy VAR check when the penalty decision was overturned and the yellow card rescinded. It means that Rice, who completed the remainder of the match without a booking, can face PSG.

All yellow cards that players were carrying have now been wiped, as per UEFA rules that make it much tougher to be suspended for major finals. Players still can be banned for the final, but even a yellow card in each semi-final leg won't do it. Only a red card would mean a suspension.