Arsenal: Mikel Arteta is saddened by the injuries to some key players!

Unwelcome news for a packed schedule.

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Arsenal: Mikel Arteta is saddened by the injuries to some key players!

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Press reports have revealed that Mikel Arteta must contend with two significant injuries within his squad ahead of the upcoming Champions League match against Lille. The loss of Piero Hincapié and Martín Zubimendi poses a major challenge for Arteta at this critical juncture of the season, just before the winter period.

read more: UCL (MD2) / Arsenal - Lille: which channels and what time to watch the match live?

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel with the return of William Saliba to training following an injury that had sidelined him; this will provide the Spanish manager with more defensive options for this match.

Mikel Arteta has to deal with some problems

As reported by Goal, Arsenal managed to defeat Leeds United last Saturday, boosting their points tally; however, during the post-match warm-down, an unwelcome incident occurred: both Hincapié and Zubimendi sustained injuries.

We had a training session planned after the game for the players. They didn’t have enough minutes to get everybody in the right rhythm and in two very unfortunate actions, we lost two players.

Arteta stated.

Saliba's return provided a boost

There is a headache brewing in Arsenal's midfield, yet not everything at the club brings cause for concern. Word has arrived that William Saliba is back on the training pitch, working alone as he works his way back from the back injury he picked up at the World Cup — a welcome piece of news for Mikel Arteta.

Still, the manager was quick to temper expectations, making clear that the defender's full recovery remains weeks away. Until then, the heart of Arsenal's defence will have to manage without him. Against Lille, Gabriel Magalhães is expected to line up alongside Ezri Konsa once more.