Arsenal prepare to host Lille in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night, as European nights return to The Emirates for the first time since their memorable victory over Atletico Madrid, which saw them qualify for the final for the first time since 2006.

The Gunners started their Champions League campaign with a victory at Napoli last month, though they only managed to convert one of their 26 shots, which came through captain Martin Ødegaard in the last fifteen minutes.

Lille welcomed Real Betis to northern France in their opening match of their European journey, and went ahead twice, but were ultimately beaten by their Spanish counterparts courtesy of two quick goals after half-time.

Since David Ancelotti, son of Carlo, arrived at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, his side have lost just one of their opening six league games. They have won four and drawn one, against Paris Saint-Germain, a game in which they led by two goals until the 91st minute.

Following their comeback victory over Leeds on Saturday afternoon, Arsenal were dealt a double blow as both Piero Hincapié and Martin Zubimendi both sustained injuries in the warm-down.

The pair join William Saliba, who returned to training on grass this week, and Christos Tzolis as the confirmed absentees for the clash.

Jurriën Timber and Ezri Konsa were both involved in Saturday's victory after injury issues in recent weeks, with the Dutchman eyeing his first Champions League night at The Emirates since the victory over Bayern Munich in November 2025.

Lille were dealt their own injury blow at the weekend, as Tiago Santos ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in their victory over Le Havre.

Santos was taken off before his left-sided counterpart, Romain Perraud, was also forced off injured in the second-half, putting Perraud's participation in north London in doubt.

Like Santos, Hamza Igamane is also sidelined with an ACL injury, after the Moroccan striker was forced off during the Africa Cup of Nations final in January.

Ethan Mbappé, the younger brother of Kylian, is unavailable for the fixture after being sent off for violent conduct in Lille's opener against Betis, where he elbowed defender Natan in the face in an off-the-ball incident, prompting a VAR review. The midfielder would have missed the game regardless, having been stretchered off with an injury whilst on duty with France under-21s.

Speaking to the media before hosting Lille, Arteta admitted, 'Tomorrow we're going to have a really tough opponent in front of us. They are very, very well coached. What Davide Ancelotti has done is, I think, remarkable.'

After losing the Champions League final on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain last season, Arteta revealed that he told the players, 'You're going to have to earn the right to get in that position again. We know how tough it is and how many times we've done it in the history of our club.'

Arsenal also welcome back former French striker, Olivier Giroud, who donned the club's red and white for six years before his departure to London rivals, Chelsea. Speaking on his former teammate, the boss explained, 'He's a great character and a great person to have around the dressing room. He came here and he really impacted the team in a very different way, a completely different profile than we were used to. What a career he has had and definitely earned it as well.'

Ancelotti confirmed that Giroud will be in the matchday squad at The Emirates, adding, 'He is always excited and ready to help the team. I know it will be a special match for him, against a club he has strong feelings for, and I hope it will be a wonderful night for him, and for me as well.'

The Italian manager has faced the Gunners as an assistant to his father, Carlo, at both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, and explained, 'I have faced Arsenal in different ways, but every team tries to maintain its identity. We have our own style, and we will seek to exploit our strengths in the best possible way under these difficult circumstances.'

German referee Felix Zwayer will be in charge of Arsenal's clash with Lille, his second trip to The Emirates as referee, and his fifth match involving the Gunners.

Zwayer refereed Arsenal twice during their timer in the Europa League, first in a 2-2 quarter-final draw at CSKA Moscow in 2018 that saw Arsenal qualify 6-3 on aggregate, and then in a victory at Olympiacos two years later.

He then oversaw Arsenal's first match on their return to Europe's biggest competition under Arteta, a 4-0 group-stage demolition of PSV Eindhoven in 2023. However, the Gunners' first defeat under his watch came in the second-leg of their 2025 semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Referee: Felix Zwayer

Assistant Referees: Robert Kempter, Nikolai Kimmeyer

Fourth Official: Richard Hempel

VAR: Robert Schröder

Arsenal welcome Lille to the Emirates Stadium at 20:00 BST on Tuesday 13 October.

Paris: 21:00 (Tuesday)

Lagos: 20:00 (Tuesday)

New York: 15:00 (Tuesday)

Mumbai: 00:30 (Wednesday)

Sydney: 06:00 (Wednesday)

The match is being broadcast in the United Kingdom on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and HBO Max.