Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi have been ruled out of Arsenal's Champions League match against Lille with ankle injuries. Head coach Mikel Arteta confirmed the double blow ahead of Tuesday's Group Stage clash at the Emirates Stadium.
"They're both going to miss tomorrow's match, that's for sure," Arteta told reporters. The injuries were sustained in a training session following Saturday's 2-1 Premier League win over Leeds United, a result that kept Arsenal second in the table with 15 points from six games. Arteta added that both players would undergo further scans, saying, "Today they're going to have a further scan and probably tomorrow we'll know more and then we'll see how they're going to go."
The absences force a significant defensive reshuffle. With Hincapie out, academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly is in line for a start at left-back. In central defence, Ezri Konsa is expected to partner Gabriel, who himself has been managing back discomfort. In midfield, Mikel Merino could come in for the injured Zubimendi to partner Declan Rice.
Further forward, the injuries may open the door for rare starts. Viktor Gyökeres is poised to lead the attack, supported by Bukayo Saka-the club's top scorer this season with three goals-Martin Ødegaard, and Eberechi Eze. The predicted lineup is a 4-2-3-1 with David Raya in goal and Jurriën Timber at right-back.
Arsenal began their European campaign with a 1-0 win away to Napoli last month and will aim to make it two victories from two against the French side. The match kicks off at 8pm BST and is broadcast on TNT Sports.
More detail at Yahoo Sports
