Lille will be without three players for Tuesday night's Champions League match against Arsenal, with Tiago Santos, Ethan Mbappe, and Hamza Igamane all unavailable. Olivier Giroud, however, has been named in the squad for the trip to the Emirates Stadium.
Santos suffers serious knee injury
Santos, a Portuguese right-back who had started all six Ligue 1 matches this season and the defeat to Real Betis in Lille's return to European competition, was stretchered off after just 17 minutes against Le Havre at the weekend following a mis-timed tackle by Amir Richardson.
The 24-year-old has since been diagnosed with "a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, along with a meniscal tear" and faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
A club statement said: "Tiago has thus suffered a serious injury that will require a lengthy rehabilitation. Today, LOSC's absolute priority is naturally to support its player, a member of the LOSC family, through this difficult time. The entire Club, its management as well as the sports and medical staff are fully mobilised alongside Tiago - who had already faced a similar injury in 2024 - in order to provide him with all the necessary human, medical and psychological support."
Club questions lack of sanction
The statement also raised concerns about the incident, adding: "Beyond the injury itself, the circumstances in which it occurred and the lack of sanction raise serious questions for the club. Even though the intervention of the Le Havre player was visible in real time, many cameras captured the scene from different angles, slow-motion replays were immediately broadcast, and VAR can intervene in the event of a clear error or a serious incident missed, including a possible direct exclusion, no sanction was issued, not even a warning."
Alongside Santos, Lille have arrived in north London without Ethan Mbappe - younger brother of Real Madrid's Kylian - due to suspension after his red card against Betis. Hamza Igamane, formerly of Rangers, is also sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury sustained in January, though he is thought to be nearing a return.
Giroud set for Emirates reunion
Giroud is set for an emotional reunion at the Emirates Stadium, eight years on from leaving Arsenal for Chelsea, though it has been widely reported that he will start the game on the bench.
Lille squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Ozer, Gill, Sajous
Defenders: Srdanovic, Ngoy, Alexsandro, Perraud, Nianzou, Verdonk, Cossier, Goffi
Midfielders: Bentaleb, Haraldsson, Kjaergaard, Mukau, Andre
Forwards: Bakwa, Giroud, Sahraoui, Ueda, Onal, Perrin, Diaoune
