Arsenal are facing an injury crisis ahead of their Champions League showdown with Lille at the Emirates Stadium, after two key players were injured in the warm-down following the win over Leeds. Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi both picked up ankle injuries and will miss the European clash, while Christos Tzolis remains sidelined with a hamstring problem.
Hincapie ruled out for up to three weeks
Piero Hincapie was carried off the pitch after picking up a knock during the warm-down following Saturday's defeat of Leeds. He has since been ruled out of the Champions League showdown with Lille, with reports suggesting he could be facing up to three weeks on the sidelines.
His potential return date is Wednesday, November 4, for the away trip to Slavia Prague.
Zubimendi's injury less serious
Martin Zubimendi also sustained an ankle injury in the same warm-down session and will miss the Lille match. Mikel Arteta revealed that the Spaniard's injury looks less serious than Hincapie's, amid reports he could return as early as this weekend against Nottingham Forest.
"We had a training session planned for after the game for players that did not have enough minutes, to get everybody in the right rhythm," Arteta said. "In two very unfortunate actions we lost two players. Not great. 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. Piero's one looks a little bit more serious, I think, but we'll have to wait and see."
Zubimendi's potential return date is Sunday, October 18, for the away fixture at Nottingham Forest.
Tzolis out for a few weeks with hamstring injury
Christos Tzolis suffered a hamstring injury in Greece's penultimate Nations League fixture, a 2-2 draw at home against the Netherlands. Despite initially refusing to come off after receiving treatment, according to Greece head coach Ivan Jovanovic, the winger was eventually replaced in the 18th minute and was said to have undergone a scan before returning to Arsenal.
Arteta provided an update in the pre-Leeds press conference: "Tzolis has a muscle injury, and he's going to be out for a few weeks. He's not available yet."
If the three-week timeframe is accurate, Tzolis could be back in contention for the visit of Everton to north London on October 24, which is followed by a trip to Fleetwood in the Carabao Cup last 16 and a showdown with Liverpool at Anfield.
Mosquera fit again, Saliba targets December return
Cristhian Mosquera missed out on a place in the matchday squad despite returning to full fitness during the international break. The Spaniard has not played since sustaining a hamstring problem during the 1-0 win over Aston Villa on August 31. He is now fit again and can bolster Arteta's defensive options against Lille, with UEFA rules allowing up to 12 substitutes in a Champions League fixture.
William Saliba has yet to play for Arsenal this season due to a long-term back injury exacerbated while on duty for France at the World Cup finals this summer. Though he avoided surgery, he was expected to be sidelined for months. No new official updates have been forthcoming, with Arteta previously insisting his progress has been strong but uncertain of an exact timeframe. The most recent reports from France claim Saliba is now running again following a positive scan and is targeting a comeback around November or December.
