Arsenal vs. Lille: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Arsenal return to Champions League action on Tuesday when hosting Lille in their second match of this year’s league phase.

The Gunners were humiliated in their final outing before the international break, losing 3–0 at Brighton & Hove Albion, but they responded with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Leeds United in their first game back. Now attention turns to Europe as they seek to build on their opening round win away at Napoli last month.

Profligacy almost proved costly for Arsenal in Naples, who were ultimately indebted to Martin Ødegaard’s winning goal. They conjured 4.05 expected goals—the second-most of any team on Matchday 1—and should have departed with a scoreline far greater than 1–0.

Mikel Arteta and his players know they must be more clinical against an in-form Lille side, who currently sit second in Ligue 1 after six matches. They even lead reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the standings after an impressive start to the campaign—although they were beaten 3–2 by Real Betis on their Champions League return.

Arsenal vs. Lille Score Prediction

Successive European Wins for Gunners

Lille shouldn’t be underestimated. They’ve hit the ground running under new manager Davide Ancelotti—son of legendary coach Carlo—and have been incredibly efficient, scoring just nine times but conceding only four in Ligue 1 thus far.

However, traveling to Arsenal will require them to reach an entirely new level.

The Gunners are particularly exceptional on home soil and have won seven of their eight competitive matches across all competitions, with defeat at Brighton an unexpected outlier.

Arteta boasts the superstar quality that Ancelotti simply doesn’t possess, while also having an immensely deep roster. The Spaniard will be able to rotate his lineup without harming its quality and that spells big trouble for Les Dogues.

• Arsenal vs. French clubs: This will be a first-ever meeting with Lille for the Gunners, but they don’t have a particularly inspiring record against sides from France. The defeat to PSG in last season’s final means they have won just nine of 20 Champions League games against teams from Ligue 1.
• Lille struggle in England: In better news for Arsenal, however, their upcoming opponents have only avoided defeat in two of their past 11 trips to England—a victory over Aston Villa (2002–03) and draw at Manchester United (2005–06).
• Arsenal’s league phase record: The Gunners topped last season’s league phase table having won all eight of their matches. A narrow defeat at Inter Milan in November 2024 is the last match they failed to win at this stage of the Champions League.

Prediction: Arsenal 3–1 Lille

Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Lille

Arsenal will continue without William Saliba and Christos Tzolis midweek. The former has missed the entirety of the campaign with a back problem, while the latter is absent for several weeks courtesy of a hamstring issue sustained on international duty.

Cristhian Mosquera is close to making his return, yet was missing from the matchday squad for the Leeds match. As a result, Ezri Konsa could partner Gabriel in defense yet again.

Piero Hincapié sustained an injury in the post-match warm-down after the Leeds match, which forced him to hobble off the field. He will likely sit out the upcoming game, meaning Riccardo Calafiori will feature at left back once more.

Bruno Guimarães could be promoted into the XI after his match-winner at the weekend, while Mikel Merino might enter the team to give Declan Rice another opportunity to rest.

Viktor Gyökeres and Eberechi Eze could feature in a refreshed attack.

Arsenal predicted lineup vs. Lille (4-2-3-1): Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Guimarães, Merino; Saka, Ødegaard, Eze; Gyökeres.

Lille Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal

Ancelotti will be without several players himself for the journey to north London.

Ethan Mbappé is absent with an ankle injury suffered just before the international break, while Hamza Igamane is still unavailable due to an ACL tear. To make matters worse, Tiago Santos will sit this one out after being stretchered off against Le Havre on Saturday, while Romain Perraud also came off injured at left back.

Nathan Ngoy, traditionally a center back, could come into the team at right back to replace Santos, while the likes of Benjamin André, Ayase Ueda and Hákon Haraldsson should all re-enter the team after only being used as substitutes against Le Havre.

Former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud could make an impact from the bench. The 40-year-old, who spent six years at the Emirates and scored 105 goals for the club, is still a major threat with his aerial prowess and finishing ability.

Lille predicted lineup vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Özer; Ngoy, Nianzou, Alexsandro, Verdonk; André, Bentaleb; Bakwa, Haraldsson, Perrin; Ueda.

What Time Does Arsenal vs. Lille Kick Off?

• Location: London, England
• Stadium: Emirates Stadium
• Date: Tuesday, Oct. 13
• Kickoff Time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
• Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
• VAR: Robert Schröder (GER)

How to Watch Arsenal vs. Lille on TV, Live Stream