Fulham boss Mark Hughes has challenged to keep his place in the Fulham first-team.
The Ghanaian made his first appearance for more than two months in Saturday's draw against Birmingham, coming off the bench as a first-half substitute for the injured Carlos Salcido.
And with the Mexican a doubt for Saturday's trip to Arsenal, Paintsil could get the nod from the start at the Emirates.
Hughes said: "I would expect him to be frustrated because he wants to play - every player in every Premier League club wants to play.
"But you cannot always get in the side, and that's what happened to John.
"He had a little loss of form at the start of the season and lost his place, but now he's got an opportunity to stay in the team."