Arteta confirms Hincapie and Zubimendi out of Arsenal's Champions League clash with Lille

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi will miss Arsenal’s Champions League fixture against Lille on Tuesday night, after both players picked up ankle injuries during a warm-down session following Saturday’s Premier League win over Leeds United.

Hincapie had to be carried off the training pitch, while Zubimendi suffered a similar issue in what Arteta described as two separate freak incidents. The Arsenal manager said further scans were scheduled to determine the full extent of the damage, adding that Hincapie’s injury appeared the more serious of the two.

“It happened, we had a training session planned, and there were two very unfortunate actions — we lost two players,” Arteta told reporters. “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. Piero’s one looks a little bit more serious.”

The double blow deepens Arsenal’s injury concerns ahead of the Lille tie. William Saliba and Christos Tzolis were already sidelined before the latest setbacks, leaving Arteta with a thinning squad as the club navigate a congested fixture schedule.

Arsenal head into the match looking to build on their domestic form, though the loss of two players signed to bolster the squad will test the depth Arteta has available in Europe.