Hincapie Ready to Face Parent Club as Arsenal’s Set-Piece ‘Warrior’

Piero Hincapie will return to face his parent club Bayer Leverkusen tonight in a fixture that adds another chapter to the Arsenal vs Leverkusen head-to-head record, with the on-loan defender having firmly established himself as Arsenal’s first-choice left-back heading into the business end of the season.

The Ecuadorian, who Mikel Arteta quickly labelled a “warrior” upon his summer arrival, has overcome early fitness issues to edge out both Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly in the pecking order at left-back.

Reunion With Former Club

Speaking ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash, Hincapie acknowledged the emotional aspect of facing Leverkusen but remained focused on Arsenal’s objectives.

“I was happy and sent some messages to the guys from Leverkusen. It will be a special situation for me to play against the club where I had such a good time, but that’s football. It will certainly be nice to see everyone again,”

he told Bild.

Set-Piece Perfection and Fighting Spirit

The defender addressed Arsenal’s much-discussed set-piece prowess and recent criticism from Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler, who shouted for Hincapie to “f*cking play football” during a throw-in routine last week.

“You can’t always win beautifully. Sometimes you have to play smart and fight to the very edge of what’s allowed. You have to have guts. During our double-winning season [at Leverkusen], not all of our games were pretty to watch, but we won them,”

Hincapie explained, dismissing any criticism of Arsenal’s tactical approach.

He credited set-piece coach Nico Jover for the team’s European-wide reputation in dead-ball situations, noting that daily training sessions have made every player “eager to score from a corner or a free kick.”

Basque Connection and Title Hunger

The 25-year-old drew parallels between his current and former managers, highlighting the similarities between Arteta and Xabi Alonso despite their different tactical philosophies.

“Their playing philosophies are different, but in terms of character, the two Basques are quite similar. They both have this incredibly strong passion for winning football matches,”

he observed.

Most significantly, Hincapie identified Arsenal’s hunger for silverware as the club’s greatest asset after years without major trophies.

“Arsenal already has the most important thing: after such a long time without major trophies, everyone here is incredibly hungry for titles. We absolutely need one major title, no matter how,”

he declared.

With Arsenal still competing across multiple fronts and Hincapie appearing set for a permanent summer move to the Emirates, tonight’s clash represents both a homecoming and a statement of intent from the defender who has quickly become integral to the Gunners’ title ambitions.