Arsenal have been dealt a fresh injury concern just a day before their Champions League home fixture against Lille, with both Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi missing from training on Monday.
Hincapie had featured for the final ten minutes of Arsenal's 2-1 Premier League victory over Leeds on Saturday, but the Ecuadorian defender was absent when the squad trained at London Colney in front of the media. The club has yet to confirm the exact nature or severity of his issue.
Adding to the uncertainty, reports had emerged suggesting midfielder Zubimendi picked up a knock during the warm-down following the Leeds match. Like Hincapie, he was not seen taking part in Monday's session, fuelling speculation that manager Mikel Arteta could be without two important squad members for the visit of the French side.
Arteta is due to address the media later on Monday in his pre-match press conference, where he is expected to clarify the fitness status of both players ahead of Tuesday night's European encounter at the Emirates Stadium.
Should Hincapie be ruled out, Arteta will be forced into a reshuffle at the back. Riccardo Calafiori has been in excellent form for Arsenal this season and has started every single Premier League match so far. However, his involvement has been carefully managed in cup and European competitions, meaning he has not played a minute outside the league campaign. With Hincapie sidelined, Arteta may have little choice but to turn to Calafiori for the Lille game, breaking from that pattern.
Alternatively, the Arsenal boss does have other options at his disposal, including the possibility of shifting Myles Lewis-Skelly from his midfield role into the left-back position to cover the gap left by Hincapie's potential absence.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Hincapie and Zubimendi, there is some positive news on the injury front for Arsenal. Ezri Konsa and Kai Havertz, who both returned carrying knocks from international duty, came through Saturday's win over Leeds unscathed and are not thought to have suffered any fresh setbacks.
However, the club's injury list remains lengthy elsewhere. Winger Christos Tzolis continues to be sidelined with a hamstring problem sustained while representing Greece during the Nations League break. Meanwhile, defender William Saliba remains out of action with a back issue that was aggravated during the World Cup over the summer.
The timing of the latest fitness doubts is far from ideal for Arteta, who will be keen to field as strong a side as possible against Lille as Arsenal look to build momentum in the Champions League. With squad depth being tested across multiple competitions, the Spanish coach faces a genuine selection dilemma heading into Tuesday's fixture, particularly in defence where options have suddenly become limited.
Further clarity on the situation is expected once Arteta speaks to reporters, with supporters anxiously awaiting confirmation on whether Hincapie and Zubimendi will be fit enough to feature, or whether the Gunners will need to adapt their approach against the Ligue 1 visitors.
Based on reporting from standard-football.