Mikel Arteta rules two Arsenal players out of Lille clash as injury blows confirmed

Mikel Arteta rules two Arsenal players out of Lille clash as injury blows confirmed

Arsenal are looking to build on their win over Leeds United when they face Lille in the Champions League

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi will miss Arsenal's Champions League showdown with Lille. The Premier League-winning tactician revealed that the pair suffered freak injuries during the Gunners' warm-down on Saturday.

Hincapie had to be carried off during the post-match formalities with an ankle injury, while Zubimendi also suffered a similar issue, which now rules them out of Tuesday night's clash under the lights.

The double blow adds to Arsenal's injury problems with William Saliba and Christos Tzolis already sidelined. Arteta said: "Well, it happened, we had a training session planned, and there were two very unfortunate actions, [and] we lost two players.

"We need to assess them; they're having further scans to assess where they are.

"Far from ideal, yeah. It's very easy, you don't train. If you don't train, you don't get injured. It can happen at the Emirates, but it's never happened in the seven years that I've been here.

"Hopefully, it doesn't happen again, but what could I do?

"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."

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Arsenal got off to a winning start in Europe after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Napoli in Italy. They bounced back from their disappointment on the eve of the international break, where they were brushed aside by Brighton & Hove Albion, with a 2-1 win over Leeds United.

The injury to Hincapie leaves Arteta with Ben White, Gabriel, Jurrien Timber, Ezri Konsa and Riccardo Calafiori to choose from.

Cristhian Mosquera hasn't featured for Arsenal since the 1-0 win over Aston Villa at the end of August, having played the entirety of the games against Manchester City and Coventry City.

Zubimendi's absence leaves the Gunners' midfield a man light, but the former Real Sociedad man was left on the bench for the win over Leeds, having played just 89 minutes in five Premier League appearances this term.

Across all competitions, the 27-year-old has managed just eight appearances, amounting to just over three hours' worth of competitive action, with Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Bruno Guimaraes and Myles Lewis-Skelly preferred.

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