The Emirates plays host to Champions League football for the first time this season tonight as LOSC Lille visit Arsenal on matchday two. The Gunners made a winning start to their European campaign five long weeks ago as they visited Napoli and eked out a 1-0 victory, with Martin Odegaard hitting the deciding goal 15 minutes from time. Lille will present another tricky test tonight, though. The French outfit have made a bright start to their domestic campaign, sitting just one point adrift of league leaders Monaco after six rounds.
Lille are back at UEFA’s top table this season after struggling in the Europa League last year, where they were knocked out by Aston Villa in the last-16. Their journey to north London tonight will reunite striker Olivier Giroud with the Arsenal faithful, though, for the first time since 2020. He has been named to the travelling squad and seems to be in line to start.
The Gunners, however, are expected to be without Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie this evening after they suffered injuries following Saturday’s victory over Leeds. Follow all the latest from Arsenal vs Lille below with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog, complete with expert insight and analysis from Matt Verri at the ground.