Both Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie suffered ankle injuries in the warm down following Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Leeds United at home last weekend. The former stands a chance of featuring on Sunday, when the Gunners travel to Nottingham Forest, while the latter will be on the shelf until after the November international break.
That is according to injury updates provided by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta in midweek.
Arsenal at Nottingham Forest FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Oct. 18, 2026, 2:30pm UK, City Ground, West Bridgford, UK
Arsenal Midweek Injury Updates: go here
Google Result Probability: Arsenal win 60% Draw `24% Nottingham Forest win 16%
PL Position, Form Guide: Arsenal 2nd, 15 pts WWWLW Nottingham Forest 3rd, 47 pts DDWLL
Arsenal Team News
“Zubi is much, much better,” Arteta said on Tuesday, ahead of his side’s rout of Lille. “We have to see how he deals with the pain on the pitch and the feelings he will face.”
So he’s probably 50/50 for Sunday.
Regarding Hincapie, he said the following: “Piero is improving, but it looks more significant. I think it will be a matter of weeks, but we don’t know exactly how many.”
We also have a William Saliba update, and now know a general timeline for when he might return to action.
The French central defender, who had surgery to repair a lower back injury, was back on the pitch this week doing individual training, so he’s making good progress now.
“It’s over a week, I think (that he’s been outdoors on grass),” Arteta said.
“Obviously we’re managing that load.
“He’s building his capacity to good standards, and let’s see in the next few weeks… We’re still talking about weeks, and when that happens, it’s very different whether he would play just before or just after [the next international break]… I cannot tell you exactly.”
So overall, in the grand scheme of things, Arsenal are in pretty good shape, fitness wise, as they look get back to the top of the table, and properly defend their league title from last season.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.