Arsenal will be without Piero Hincapié and Martin Zubimendi against Lille

Arsenal will be without Piero Hincapié and Martin Zubimendi when they face Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday. Mikel Arteta confirmed that both players picked up injuries in training and would not be available for the match. He also said Hincapié’s problem appeared more serious.

The fixture will be Arsenal’s first home match in this Champions League campaign. The London side head into it after opening their European schedule with a 1-0 away win over Napoli, and will be looking to make it two victories in a row.

The injuries come at a difficult time for Arsenal, who have started the season strongly and are facing a demanding run of domestic and European fixtures. Zubimendi’s availability is also a consideration in the club’s defensive selection, but the immediate concern is the absence of both players.

Arteta explained that the injuries happened during a planned training session and that further assessments were needed to determine recovery timelines. “It happened during a training session we had planned. There were two very unfortunate incidents and we lost two players. We need to assess them. They are having further scans to see where they stand,” Arsenal’s manager said.

Asked how serious the injuries were, he confirmed: “They are both going to miss tomorrow’s match for sure. Tomorrow we will know more. Piero’s one looks a little bit more serious.” He also acknowledged that the situation was far from ideal, particularly because the injuries occurred in training rather than in a match. Arteta expects the scans to provide more information, but Tuesday’s absences are confirmed.

Gabriel Magalhães joined the manager at the press conference and praised Mikel Arteta’s influence. The manager recently signed a new contract. “Every week I say thank you to Mikel for how he has pushed me. He is the boss and we are grateful to have him here,” Gabriel said. He also praised Ezri Konsa’s quick adaptation since joining Arsenal, adding: “I really enjoy playing with him. Of course, we have the best centre-backs at Arsenal, so we want to raise the level.”

Reflecting on the penalty he missed in the Champions League final, Gabriel said the disappointment had been difficult but that he had learned from it. He said he would take any future penalty and that his team-mates had supported him through the disappointment.