Arsenal were beaten 4-0 by QPR in a behind closed doors friendly at the TSG Elite Training & Performance Centre on Thursday.
The Gunners travelled to west London to face the Championship side with a squad containing largely under-21 players. The only first team players involved in the match were Takehiro Tomiyasu and Thomas Partey.
Tomiyasu only returned to the matchday squad for Arsenal’s penalty shootout victory over Porto following a calf problem.
The Japan international also missed around a month of football in December due to a similar issue. He played for 45 minutes.
Partey, meanwhile, played for an hour. The Ghanaian has played just 41 minutes since August due to a spate of muscle injuries.
He was able to make his return to action during Arsenal’s 6-0 win over Sheffield United earlier this month, but did not go off on international duty with Ghana despite a late call up.
Jurrien Timber was not involved, however. The Dutch international is stepping up his recovery at the Sobha Realty Centre and is taking part in training sessions that don’t put undue stress on his knee after he suffered an ACL injury earlier this season.
He is expected to be available for the business end of the season, but it is not clear if he will recover in time to play a part against Manchester City on March 31.
That clash at the Etihad Stadium is the first Arsenal will play in a difficult run in. The Gunners also travel to Brighton, Tottenham and Manchester United and face Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Arsena line up vs QPR – Ejeheri (Rojas 46), Nichols (Dudziak 64), Robinson, Foran, Tomiyasu (Quesada-Thorn 46), Partey (Kabia 64), Lewis-Skelly, Gower (Bandeira 64), Cozier-Duberry (Oulad M’Hand 64), Butler-Oyedeji, Kamara (Rosiak 64).
