Arsenal were dealt a fresh blow before their Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace as Piero Hincapie was absent from the squad.
Hincapie, a summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen, has become an important figure in Arsenal’s defence amid the absence of Gabriel and Cristhian Mosquera.
Since making his first Premier League start in the north London derby win over Tottenham last month, the Ecuador international had been a near ever-present for Mikel Arteta’s side.
However, a run of seven consecutive starts across all competitions came to an end on Tuesday night as Hincapie watched on from the sidelines as Arsenal beat Palace on penalties to set up a Carabao Cup semi-final showdown against Chelsea.
Arsenal’s injury problems deepened in the second half against when Gabriel Martinelli was unable to continue following a clash of knees with Jaydee Canvot towards the end of the first half.
Speaking after the cup tie, Arteta delivered an update on both Martinelli and Hincapie, confirming the latter picked up an injury in the 1-0 win over Everton at the weekend.
“Martinelli is more of a knock and he wasn't comfortable to carry on after the second half,” Arteta confirmed.
“With Piero, yeah, something different because he picked up an injury against Everton.”
Arsenal are back in Premier League action on Saturday, hosting Brighton at the Emirates Stadium as they bid to maintain their two-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the table.
With both Hincapie and Martinelli picking up knocks, it remains to be seen if either are involved at the weekend.
That said, Hincapie was spotted taking part in the post-match celebrations against Palace. This may suggest he will be fine to partner William Saliba against the Seagulls.
