Why Arsenal Starting XI Missing Piero Hincapie? Reasons Revealed

Ecuadorian star Piero Hincapie is not playing for Arsenal against Lille because he is out with an injury for matchday 2 in the UEFA Champions League. The defender suffered the injury during the EPL club's meeting against Leeds United in matchweek 6, which ended in a 2-1 win. His absence is therefore related to an injury, and he will be unavailable for the Gunners in the coming weeks of the 2026/27 campaign. The main reason Piero Hincapie is not playing against Lille due to an undiscolsed stress injury.

Why Is Piero Hincapie Not Playing Against Lille?

The Ecuador national football team international was training post match following Arsenal's English Premier League clash against Leeds after playing in the final 10 minutes of the clash. Arteta has subsequently revealed that a training injury has him facing a spell on the sidelines and no official timeframe has been provided on his return.

That means Hincapie is unavailable when Arsenal face a challenging home meeting against Lille at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, October 13. UEFA's official Matchday 2 team-news listing confirms the defender was absent from Arsenal's starting XI.