Arsenal Lose Hincapie, Zubimendi to Injuries Ahead of Lille Clash

Arsenal will be without Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash against Lille after both players sustained injuries during a training session, manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed.

Arteta disclosed the development while speaking at the Sobha Realty Training Centre ahead of the European fixture, according to an update published on Arsenal’s official website on Monday.

The pair reportedly suffered the injuries during a session organised for players who had limited playing time in Arsenal’s 2-1 Premier League victory over Leeds United on Saturday.

The Arsenal manager said the club was awaiting further medical assessments to determine the severity of the injuries and establish how long the players would be sidelined.

READ ALSO: Ex-Barcelona president questions Messi over refusal to return to Camp Nou

“In two very unfortunate actions, we lost two players, and yeah, not great. We need to assess them today. They have further scans to see where they are and they will have that time frame, how long they’re going to be out for,” Arteta said.

He suggested that Hincapie’s injury appeared more serious than Zubimendi’s but stressed that the club needed further examinations before determining their recovery timelines.

“They’re both going to miss tomorrow’s match, that’s for sure, and today they’re going to have a further scan and probably tomorrow we’ll know more,” he said.

“Piero’s one looks a little bit more serious I think, but we’ll have to wait and see.”

Both players were named among the substitutes against Leeds, with Hincapie coming on in the 80th minute as Arsenal held on to secure the victory.

Asked whether the injuries could have been avoided, Arteta defended the decision to arrange the additional training session, arguing that players needed to maintain their fitness and match sharpness.

“Very easy; don’t train. Never train, and they don’t get injured. That’s why the consequence to that is when they have to play, they have no rhythm, and when you ask them to play, they’re going to have no impact in the game,” he said.

The Spaniard described the injuries as unfortunate, noting that contact incidents could occur during small-sided training games. He added that Arsenal had conducted similar sessions 37 times during the previous season without experiencing the same problem.

Meanwhile, defender William Saliba is continuing his recovery after returning to individual training on the pitch.

Arteta said the Frenchman had spent more than a week training on the grass as the club carefully managed his workload and worked to rebuild his fitness.

“He’s building now his capacity to good standards, and let’s see in the next few weeks if we can start to introduce him to the team to see where we are to actually make him available for the squad,” Arteta said.

Saliba’s return could come before or after the November international break, depending on his progress during rehabilitation.

Arsenal will face Lille on Tuesday in their Champions League campaign, with the injuries to Hincapie and Zubimendi providing a setback as Arteta prepares his squad for the European encounter.