Arsenal vs Leeds – News and Probable Lineups

With merely three points and three places differentiating them in the early stages of the Premier League table, Arsenal and Leeds United meet again at the Emirates Stadium this Saturday lunchtime, following the recent international break.

The defending champions went into the break reeling from a 3-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, whereas Leeds United remains unbeaten in their five league matches.

Match overview

Arsenal’s 100% record in all competitions came to a crashing halt on September 19 when they were thoroughly outplayed by a dazzling Brighton team at the Amex Stadium, where Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas, and Chema Andres found the back of the net against David Raya.

Arteta expressed his disappointment regarding his team’s lack of “respect” during that match, where Brighton’s clinical finishing and aggressive pressing outperformed Arsenal in their own game.

This loss marked Arsenal’s most significant defeat in the Premier League since being beaten by the same scoreline against Brighton back in May 2023 and allowed Manchester City to leapfrog them to the top of the standings during the international break.

However, as the international break came to a close, Arsenal announced that Arteta had agreed to a new long-term deal, which extends the association with the manager who holds the highest win percentage in the history of the men’s team – 61%.

In the last five Premier League home matches, he has guided the Gunners to victory in all, where they conceded only one goal while scoring ten. They have not failed to score at home in the league since January 8 against Liverpool.

While it was anticipated that either Arsenal or Leeds would retain their unbeaten records heading into this fixture, Leeeds arriving at the Emirates with theirs still intact is somewhat unexpected.

However, Daniel Farke’s squad has managed to do what Arsenal couldn’t—secure a point against Brighton—and they have also triumphed over Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United while sharing the spoils with Brentford and Crystal Palace.

Leeds had an element of luck against Crystal Palace, who missed several opportunities in their encounter at Elland Road during the fifth game week. Nevertheless, their inability to find a decisive goal has still resulted in their best start to a top-tier campaign since 2001-02.

With nine points from a possible 15, Leeds occupies fifth place in the standings and has the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League, having conceded only three goals, which is better than Arsenal’s four and equal to Everton’s tally.

Last season, Farke’s team conceded a shocking nine goals to Arsenal, suffering a 5-0 defeat at the Emirates and a 4-0 loss at home; thus they come into this match having lost their last eight encounters against the reigning champions.

Team News

This latest international break has become yet another challenge for Arsenal, as Arteta has dealt with significant injury withdrawals. Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, Kai Havertz, Max Dowman, and Christos Tzolis all pulled out from their national teams due to injuries.

The fitness of these five players remains uncertain, though Rice and Konsa are not believed to have sustained severe injuries; Arteta is expected to provide an update during his press conference.

Ben White (groin) and Cristhian Mosquera (thigh) are also on the recovery list for the hosts, while William Saliba (back) is out long-term, but there is positive news regarding his rehabilitation.

Leeds also came out of the three-week break with injury issues but have only one withdrawal in Jean-Matteo Bahoya, who picked up an ankle injury while with France’s Under-21 squad.

Bahoya joins Mateo Joseph (ACL), Joe Rodon (thigh), and Harry Wilson (thigh) in the treatment room, although Wilson has not been ruled out of this match entirely.

Having featured for just 15 minutes for England during an unsatisfactory international break, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will look to end a nine-game goal drought against Arsenal, the last time he scored against them being in February 2020.

Arsenal probable starting XI:

Raya; Timber, Consa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly; Saka, Odegaard, Eze; Gyokeres

Leeds United probable starting XI:

Trafford; Justin, Muharemovic, Elvedi; Bogle, Tanaka, Ampadu, Stach, Gudmundsson; Okafor, Calvert-Lewin

While Arsenal’s defensive capabilities were absent at the Amex, they now face a Leeds team that has not even scored half of Brighton’s league-leading 16 goals this season.

The first match after the international break brings its share of uncertainties, but despite the numerous fitness worries, the depth of Arsenal’s squad should be evident at home as the Gunners strive to return to winning ways.