Arsenal host Lille at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday in matchday two of the Champions League league phase.
Mikel Arteta’s side won 1-0 at Napoli on matchday one, their 13th successive league-phase victory, and sit 15th in the early table. Lille lost 3-2 at home to Real Betis after leading twice and are 22nd, with Ethan Mbappé sent off in that game and now suspended. It is the first meeting between the clubs in any match, and Lille’s squad includes former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud, now 40.
Davide Ancelotti was appointed in June to replace Bruno Génésio and has Lille second in Ligue 1, one point behind Monaco, after a 1-0 win over Le Havre on Saturday. Arsenal beat Leeds 2-1 on the same day after an unconvincing first hour, but have conceded six goals in their last three matches in all competitions after letting in one in their first six. Lille have lost their last eight away games against English clubs, their last away win against one coming in a 2002 Intertoto Cup tie at Aston Villa.
Arsenal vs Lille – Match preview and team news
- Date: Tuesday, 13 October 2026
- Kick-off: 20:00 BST
- Venue: Emirates Stadium
- Referee: Felix Zwayer GER
- VAR: Robert Schröder GER
- Last meeting: None. First meeting between the clubs
Team news
Arsenal
Christos Tzolis (hamstring) and William Saliba (back) remain out. Piero Hincapie (ankle) and Martin Zubimendi (knock) are considered extremely unlikely to be fit after missing Monday’s open training session. Cristhian Mosquera trained after recovering from the hamstring problem that left him as the 12th man against Leeds. Riccardo Calafiori is expected to continue at left-back, while Bruno Guimaraes, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres are in contention to start as Arteta rotates.
Lille
Ethan Mbappé serves a three-match suspension for his red card against Real Betis, which also rules him out of the games with Galatasaray and Bodø/Glimt. He is also carrying an ankle injury that will keep him out for three weeks. Tiago Santos was stretchered off with a knee injury against Le Havre, Romain Perraud came off with a knock and Hamza Igamane (ACL) is a long-term absentee. Nathan Ngoy is expected to return in defence, while Giroud is expected to make way for Ayase Ueda.
Form
Arsenal
Arsenal’s record at this stage of the Champions League is near-flawless, with only two defeats in their last 31 league-phase or group-stage matches across UEFA competitions. They have scored three or more in five of their last six home fixtures at this stage. The domestic picture is less settled: a 3-0 defeat at Brighton before the international break was followed by a 2-1 comeback win over Leeds, secured after an unconvincing first hour. The defensive dip, six conceded in three matches, is the one trend Lille will hope to use.
Lille
Lille have taken six points from their last three Ligue 1 matches, beating Troyes and Le Havre either side of a 2-1 defeat at Nice. Their European start was less convincing, as they led Betis twice before losing 3-2 with ten men after Mbappé’s dismissal. Their away record in England is the sharper concern, with eight consecutive defeats against English clubs.
Predicted lineups
Arsenal predicted XI: Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Merino, Guimaraes; Saka, Odegaard, Eze; Gyokeres
Lille predicted XI: Ozer; Ngoy, Nianzou, Alexsandro, Verdonk; Andre, Bentaleb; Bakwa, Haraldsson, Perrin; Ueda
How to watch Arsenal vs Lille?
The match will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate, with streaming available via HBO Max.
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