Arsenal will switch their focus to the UEFA Champions League as the Emirates hosts the first official meeting with LOSC Lille.
Arsenal resumed their domestic campaign on Saturday with a hard-fought victory over Leeds United. The visitors took the lead in the second half through James Justin, but a quick-fire response saw the Gunners equalise through Riccardo Calafiori, while substitute Bruno Guimaraes scored the winner minutes after the leveller.
The win helped Mikel Arteta’s side retain second place behind Manchester City, and Arsenal will now turn their attention towards their Champions League campaign. In the opening round, the Gunners travelled to Italy to face Napoli, where Martin Odegaard broke the deadlock after the hosts had produced a resilient defensive display.
Now, Arsenal prepare for their first home game in the competition, with Arteta harbouring plenty of ambition regarding what he wants to achieve in the Champions League this season. This time, LOSC Lille come to town, as this will be the first time Arsenal have faced Les Dogues in an official fixture.
Lille will come into this clash full of confidence after making an encouraging start to the season. They currently sit second in Ligue 1, having secured a narrow victory over Le Havre, who were reduced to 10 men, although Davide Ancelotti’s side endured a disappointing opening to their Champions League campaign.
Having hosted Real Betis on home soil, Ancelotti’s side took the lead twice, although Betis fought back on both occasions. Eventually, Troy Parrott gave the visitors the lead early in the second half, and minutes later, Lille’s Ethan Mbappe was sent off as the hosts lost a man in their attempt to mount a comeback.
The game ended in defeat, and Ancelotti will now target a positive result against Arsenal. This will be a tough game for Lille in their quest to remain relevant in the race for a top-eight finish. Given the quality in the competition, the French side will at least target a place in the top 24, although a positive result in London would galvanise their squad as they aim for automatic qualification.
Team News & Tactics
Arsenal
Arsenal still have plenty of injury issues to deal with and, to make matters worse, they lost two first-team players during the warm-down after the Leeds United game. Following the clash, it was revealed that Piero Hincapie had to be carried off with a suspected ankle injury, meaning the defender is certainly out of the Lille clash as Mikel Arteta awaits the results of a scan to determine the extent of the injury.
During his press conference, Arteta also revealed that Martin Zubimendi had suffered an ankle problem in the same warm-down session. The midfielder is also out of the Lille clash, meaning there may be some familiar faces in the lineup on Tuesday. In midfield, Mikel Merino could start alongside Bruno Guimaraes, although the manager might keep Declan Rice in the setup if he feels the need.
Arteta will carefully choose his defensive options, with Cristhian Mosquera likely to return after missing a few games with an injury. He could line up alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, while Jurrien Timber could start at right-back. The left-back position is intriguing, as Arteta could use Myles Lewis-Skelly there if he wants to rest Calafiori.
Kai Havertz made a surprise return to the team at the weekend after recovering from his international-break injury. However, it could be Viktor Gyokeres who leads the line on Tuesday. Eberechi Eze should start on the left in place of the injured Christos Tzolis, while Noni Madueke, who impressed from a left-wing role, could start on the right to allow Bukayo Saka some rest.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Guimaraes, Merino; Madueke, Gyokeres, Eze
LOSC Lille
Davide Ancelotti has a few key issues to deal with, starting with Ethan Mbappe, who will miss the next three Champions League games through suspension following his red card. Even then, the Frenchman was expected to miss this clash with an ankle problem, while the weekend caused two new issues for the manager to deal with.
The first concern is the possible absence of key defender Tiago Santos, who was stretchered off against Le Havre. Left-back Romain Perraud is also a doubt after coming off in the second half of the same game, meaning Ancelotti could select Calvin Verdonk in the full-back role for the trip to Arsenal.
Fellow defender Nathan Ngoy was also absent at the weekend, and his situation remains unclear ahead of Tuesday. Basar Onal’s absence in the league is not considered anything more than a rest. Ancelotti will also have a decision to make regarding veteran striker Olivier Giroud, who started against Le Havre.
The occasion may demand that the 40-year-old starts against his former side, but if not, Ayase Ueda could be the ideal choice to lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ozer; Ngoy, Nianzou, Alexsandro, Verdonk; Andre, Bentaleb; Bakwa, Haraldsson, Perrin; Giroud
Key Stats
- Arsenal are unbeaten in their last seven UEFA Champions League home matches against French opposition.
- Arsenal have kept 18 clean sheets in their last 24 European home matches. The Gunners have lost only two of their last 31 group stage/league phase games (W25 D4).
- Lille have lost their last seven Champions League matches against English opposition.
- Lille have scored in their last seven consecutive matches across all competitions.
- Arsenal have scored three or more goals in five of their last six home league phase matches.
Player to Watch
Eberechi Eze
There are some Arsenal players yet to prove their worth, especially since the start of the new season, with the focus firmly on Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze. The latter, more than the former, needs to showcase what Arteta wants from his attacking players, particularly on the left wing, where they are now missing summer signing Christos Tzolis.
Eze needs to produce performances worthy of Mikel Arteta’s faith in him as a primary option rather than an afterthought. These games against Lille are a great opportunity for Eze to put in an important display, with the attacker in serious need of remaining relevant in the manager’s plans. Therefore, the focus will be on how he performs in the upcoming games, starting on Tuesday.
Prediction
Arsenal 2-1 LOSC Lille
Lille did not make the best start to their UEFA Champions League campaign, but their domestic form has been commendable so far. Davide Ancelotti will want his players to bring their Ligue 1 performances to the European stage, but they could struggle to replicate that against a formidable side like Arsenal.
Les Dogues can trouble the Gunners’ backline to an extent, although Arsenal should use their home advantage and experience from recent Champions League campaigns to see this game through. The Gunners are expected to register another victory and take their tally to six points from the opening two games of their European campaign.
