Arsenal suffer double injury blow before Champions League meeting with Lille

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi will miss Tuesday’s Champions League match against Lille.

Arsenal host the French side at 22:00 on Tuesday in the second round of the competition’s league phase, with both clubs looking to build on contrasting results in the opening round.

“We had a training session scheduled after the game for the players who had not played enough minutes, and in two very unfortunate incidents we lost two players,” Arteta said at his pre-match news conference. “It is not a good thing.”

The Arsenal manager said the club would need to carry out further assessments before the extent of the players’ absences could be established.

“We need to assess them today and carry out more tests to understand where they are. After that, we will have a timeframe for how long they will be out,” he added.

Arteta was also asked about Arsenal’s response in their 2-1 victory over Leeds. James Justin gave Leeds the lead in the 55th minute, before Riccardo Calafiori equalised seven minutes later. Bruno Guimaraes then completed the comeback with the winning goal in the 70th minute.

“I am very happy with the result against Leeds and with the reaction that allowed us to turn the game around in extremely difficult circumstances, especially after the international break,” Arteta said.

He believes Arsenal can be more efficient in front of goal, despite arguing that their attacking performances before the international break had been better than in previous seasons.

“I think the way we finish our attacks is what we need to improve,” he said. “But when you look at what we produced before the international break, it was better than any other year.

“We just need to be more precise with our chances so that we can finish more attacks.”

Arteta was also asked why Eberechi Eze has had limited involvement. He said the midfielder, like every player, needed regular opportunities but would have to earn them through training and his performances in matches.

“Like any other player, he needs to play, and that depends on training and on his performances on the pitch,” Arteta said. “He has to have the impact the team needs to achieve its objectives.

“Eze will have many opportunities to do that. His attitude is excellent, and our players also need to adapt to his qualities.”

The Arsenal manager also reflected on Lille forward Olivier Giroud, who previously played under him.

“Above all, he had a great personality, and his presence in the dressing room was a real positive,” Arteta said. “I remember very well when he joined us. He had been playing in the French league with Montpellier, then he came here and had a huge impact on the team.

“He was a completely different player from anything we were used to.”

Arsenal began their Champions League campaign with a 1-0 victory over Napoli, while Lille lost 3-2 to Real Betis.