Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres will return to the Arsenal starting lineup when they host Leeds United at the Emirates on Saturday.
Arsenal will be eager to return to winning ways when they welcome Leeds United to the Emirates on Saturday afternoon. Mikel Arteta has several injury concerns to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Kai Havertz sustained a hamstring injury during Germany’s UEFA Nations League clash with the Netherlands, while Christos Tzolis suffered a similar problem during Greece’s tie with the Oranje. Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa returned before the England camp early, though his issue is not considered serious.
Nevertheless, the summer arrival remains doubtful for the Leeds United clash, with Declan Rice, Ben White, and Cristhian Mosquera also facing late fitness tests to determine their availability. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Arteta provided fitness updates on several players.
The Arsenal manager said, “With Kai because he had a muscular injury. I spoke to Jurgen [Klopp] and immediately they sent the player back, as is normal. Ezri has been carrying some issues as well, and we had good communication with the England camp about that. Tzolis has a muscle injury and he’s going to be out I think for a few weeks. He’s not available yet.”
“We have to manage him [Rice] because he’s had a few issues since he’s come back from the World Cup. We know the amount of games he’s played in the last three years. It was the sensible thing to do, and hopefully tomorrow he’s available.”
“They [Piero Hincapie and Mosquera] did incredibly well to be available for the Brighton game. We decided not to use them at the end, especially in the manner that we had to play the last few minutes, but they are both available, and Ben White as well.”
David Raya is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Arsenal lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him against Leeds United on Saturday. The backline will feature Jurrien Timber, Ezri Konsa, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Riccardo Calafiori.
As for the midfield unit, Myles Lewis-Skelly should line up alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Martin Odegaard, with Declan Rice likely to get additional rest. Finally, Viktor Gyokeres should deputise for Havertz as the central striker, with Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka completing the numbers in the offensive unit.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Guimaraes, Lewis-Skelly; Saka, Gyokeres, Eze
