Arsenal’s Champions League home opener against Lille has been complicated by injuries, but several details in the article need correction. Piero Hincapié and Martin Zubimendi are both out, while William Saliba remains sidelined; however, Zubimendi is a midfielder, not part of Arsenal’s defensive structure, and Lille’s absent player is Ethan Mbappé, not Kylian Mbappé.
Hincapié and Zubimendi suffered ankle injuries during a post-match warm-down after Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Leeds United on Saturday. Arteta confirmed both would miss Tuesday’s match, with Hincapié’s injury appearing more serious. Both were due for further scans to determine how long they would be unavailable.
The claim that Saliba is “already ruled out” is too definitive. As of October 12, he was recovering from a back injury and had resumed individual on-field training, but was still several weeks away from returning to the squad.
The reference to Christos Tzolis is also misplaced. Tzolis is a Lille player, not an Arsenal defender, and he is out for several weeks with a hamstring injury.
Lille’s suspension concerns Ethan Mbappé, Kylian Mbappé’s younger brother. He received a three-match UEFA ban after being sent off for elbowing Betis defender Natan in Lille’s 3-2 defeat by Real Betis. He will miss the Arsenal match, the home game against Galatasaray and the trip to Bodø/Glimt.
The claim that Mbappé also has an ankle injury expected to sideline him for three weeks is not supported by the available reporting. His absence is due to suspension, not injury.
Lille’s other absences are Tiago Santos, who suffered a knee injury against Le Havre, and Romain Perraud, who has an unspecified knock. Hamza Igamane’s long-term ACL absence also reduces their attacking depth.
The claim that Nathan Ngoy’s return means Lille “will still field a formidable front three” is confused. Ngoy is a centre-back, while Jonathan David and Rémi Cabella are attackers. They cannot all be described as anchoring the defence.
Arsenal’s likely back four is David Raya; Jurriën Timber, Ezri Konsa, Gabriel Magalhães and Myles Lewis-Skelly. Riccardo Calafiori is expected to be rested rather than deployed at left-back, while Viktor Gyökeres, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka are projected to start in attack.
The match is Arsenal’s first home Champions League game of the season and their second league-phase fixture, not a group-stage decider. They won 1-0 at Napoli in their opening match, while Lille lost 3-2 at home to Real Betis. Kick-off is at 8pm BST on Tuesday, October 13.
