Injury-hit Arsenal face a Lille side that was outshot 17-5 at the weekend
Mikel Arteta’s side won 1-0 at Napoli last month and sit second in the Premier League, while Davide Ancelotti’s Lille lost 3-2 at home to Betis on matchday one despite leading twice. Kick-off is at 21:00 CEST (20:00 UK time), with Felix Zwayer the referee. The game is at the Emirates on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, on matchday two of the Champions League league phase.
“Both ankles. They’re both going to miss tomorrow’s match for sure.” – Mikel Arteta on Piero Hincapié and Martín Zubimendi
Predicted lineups: Arsenal vs Lille
Arsenal have fresh problems. Piero Hincapié injured his ankle in the warm-down after the Leeds game, and Martín Zubimendi did the same in a training session, so both miss out. William Saliba is still out with a back problem and Christos Tzolis has a hamstring injury. Declan Rice and Kai Havertz are back from international duty, and Havertz is expected to lead the line, with Bruno Guimarães joining Rice and Ødegaard in midfield. Lille are without Ethan Mbappé, suspended after his red card against Betis, and Tiago Santos, who has ruptured a cruciate ligament. Olivier Giroud is in the squad on his return to the Emirates.
Arsenal Team News & Preview
Arsenal have not been at their best since the international break, but they keep finding ways to win. Leeds led at the Emirates from the 55th minute on Saturday before Riccardo Calafiori equalised and substitute Bruno Guimarães scored the winner. Arteta was blunt afterwards, saying the line between “exceptional” and “extremely average” was very thin. That 2-1 win took Arsenal to 15 points from six league games, with their only defeat a 3-0 loss at Brighton.
The defensive absences are the main question. Saliba, Hincapié and Zubimendi are all key parts of the structure that held Napoli to almost nothing in Naples, and Arsenal will be relying on Gabriel and a reshuffled back four. Even so, the side still has Rice to screen and enough quality in Saka, Ødegaard and Eze to dominate the ball against an opponent that struggles to keep it.
What works for or against Arsenal
- Won 1-0 at Napoli on matchday one, holding them to 0.22 xG.
- Second in the Premier League with 15 points from six games.
- Saliba, Hincapié and Zubimendi are all out.
- Trailed Leeds at home on Saturday before turning the game round late.
Lille Team News & Preview
Lille are second in Ligue 1 with 13 points and the best part of their start has been the defence, with only four goals conceded in six league games. The attacking side is less convincing. On Saturday they beat Le Havre 1-0 thanks to Bakwa’s fifth-minute goal, but they had five shots to Le Havre’s 17 and only one on target, even though the visitors played with ten men for the final half-hour. The xG was 1.19 to 1.30 in Le Havre’s favour.
Ancelotti’s side also lost Ethan Mbappé to a red card in the Betis defeat and Tiago Santos to a serious knee injury, so the squad is thinner than it was a month ago. Away from home in Ligue 1 they have won 1-0 at Toulouse and lost 2-1 at Nice. They have also lost their last eight away games against English clubs, and nothing about their recent attacking output suggests they are ready to end that run.
What works for or against Lille
- Only four goals conceded in six Ligue 1 games.
- Five shots to 17 in Saturday's home win over ten-man Le Havre.
- Ethan Mbappé is suspended and Tiago Santos is out long term.
- Lost their last eight away games against English clubs.
- Olivier Giroud returns to the Emirates with the travelling squad.
Arsenal vs Lille Odds
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Arsenal Form, Stats & Data
Arsenal’s league position reflects a team that wins tight games: their two home wins this season were both 2-1, against Chelsea and Leeds. The bigger European reference point is Naples, where they created far more than the 1-0 scoreline suggests and limited Napoli to 0.22 xG. That is the kind of control I expect again against a Lille side that has struggled to get up the pitch.
Lille Form, Stats & Data
Nine goals in six league games is a modest return, and the weekend numbers against Le Havre were worrying. Lille have been efficient rather than dangerous, and without Mbappé they lose one of their more aggressive players. Their defensive record is good, but that is a different question from whether they can create enough to score at the Emirates.
Arsenal vs Lille: Prediction & Betting Tip
Arsenal at 1.20 is too short to back on its own, so I am looking at the scoreline instead. Lille produced one shot on target at home against ten-man Le Havre, are missing Mbappé and Santos, and have lost eight in a row away to English opposition. Arsenal held Napoli to almost nothing in their only Champions League game so far, and I expect them to have most of the ball and most of the territory again.
The best argument the other way is Arsenal’s injury list. Saliba, Hincapié and Zubimendi all play central roles in the way Arsenal defend, and Leeds showed on Saturday that the reshuffled side can be got at. Lille also have Giroud on the bench, who knows exactly how to score at the Emirates. Even so, Lille’s attacking numbers are poor enough that I am happy to back Arsenal to keep them out.
So it is Arsenal to win to nil at 1.85 with Winz for me, and I expect a 2-0 scoreline.