Arsenal travel to Yorkshire to take on a Leeds United side short on confidence and depleted by injuries, as they hope to retain the fourth spot on the table.
Even as Leeds United were still reeling from a plethora of injuries, they were put to the sword by a ruthless Manchester City side in midweek. Pep Guardiola’s men put seven past Marcelo Bielsa’s team, exposing their thin squad that has been left to bare bones.
Leeds are midway through their toughest period, not only with injuries but also with the quality of their opponents. Before Manchester City, they lost narrowly to Chelsea, and now face Arsenal and then Liverpool either side of Christmas.
In terms of their position, Leeds sit in a rather uncomfortable 16th spot on the table, just five points ahead of Burnley in 18th, who have two games in hand over the Yorkshire side. If the Clarets win their ties, they will go above Bielsa’s side, who could slip into the relegation zone.
Arsenal have been in a contrasting run of form of late. Since their surprise loss to Everton, the Gunners have bounced back in style, recording strong victories over Southampton and West Ham United at home while keeping a clean sheet in both those encounters.
Their win over the Hammers took them above their London rivals into fourth, although they have Manchester United and Tottenham lurking behind with games in hand. After a week mired by the issues surrounding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the captaincy, Mikel Arteta has responded on the field with wins.
The challenge for the Spanish tactician would be to maintain momentum during the festive period and keep their noses ahead of those chasing the fourth spot behind them. Fortunately for Arsenal, the fixture list between now and the end of the year looks favourable with games against Leeds, Norwich City and Wolves before they host Manchester City on new years day.
Team News & Tactics
Leeds United
? Marcelo sits down with the press ahead of Saturday's clash with Arsenal https://t.co/9Q7lg0kAPP
— Leeds United (@LUFC) December 16, 2021
The Leeds United injury list has grown exponentially in recent weeks, with Jamie Shackleton and Daniel James the latest names to knock on the doors of their treatment room. To make matters worse, Junior Firpo is suspended for the Arsenal clash. Robin Koch, Pascal Struijk, Rodrigo, Kalvin Phillips, Patrick Bamford and Liam Cooper’s names are on the injury list as well
In all, Bielsa has a huge task at hand to choose a starting team for the weekend, with as many as eight players missing from action. Those absentees make it difficult to predict which players Bielsa will decide to start with against Arsenal on Saturday.
The absence of Shackleton could prompt Bielsa to go with a back three. Diego Llorente and Charlie Cresswell will start alongside Luke Ayling in defence. Jack Harrison and Raphinha could slot in as the wing-backs, as Bielsa might go with a hybrid midfield diamond.
Stuart Dallas, Mateusz Klich and Adam Forshaw could form the central midfield numbers, with Tyler Roberts playing an advanced midfield role behind striker Joe Gelhardt.
Probable Lineup (3-5-1-1) – Meslier; Ayling, Llorente, Cresswell; Raphinha, Forshaw, Dallas, Klich, Harrison; Roberts; Gelhardt
Arsenal
Arsenal’s team news is in total contrast to that of Leeds United, with no new injuries reported. Sead Kolasinac is the only notable absentee, while Bernd Leno remains a doubt, after failing to feature in the last two matchday squads. Gabriel Martinelli could also be a doubt following a complaint late against West Ham, although he is understood to be okay to feature at the weekend.
Arteta confirmed the unavailability of former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, meaning Alexandre Lacazette could be the man to lead Arsenal yet again. The Frenchman is expected to keep the armband for this season before his possible departure on a free transfer.
If Martinelli is deemed unfit to start, Arteta has a readymade replacement on the bench in Emile Smith Rowe, who scored against the Hammers. Apart from the youngster, Arsenal are unlikely to make any further changes, although the manager might slightly sense the need to refresh his midfield options.
If that happens, Granit Xhaka could be the player to make the way, with Albert Sambi Lokonga best-placed to replace him. However, with Arteta’s recent thinking, he is likely to retain the same midfield with Thomas Partey partnering the Swiss star.
Bukayo Saka is expected to continue threatening from the right side of the attack, whereas the in-form Martin Odegaard is likely to play in the advanced midfield role behind lead striker Lacazette.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1) – Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Lacazette
Key Stats
- Leeds United are winless in six games against Arsenal at Elland Road, losing four of those clashes.
- Leeds are undefeated in their last five home matches in the Premier League, winning two of those.
- Arsenal are unbeaten in ten games against Leeds United in all competitions, winning eight of those.
- The Gunners have scored just six goals away from home this season in the Premier League.
- Arsenal have lost their last three away games in the Premier League.
Player to Watch
Alexandre Lacazette
The events of the last few days involving the club, Mikel Arteta and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have brought the focus on Alexandre Lacazette, who is expected to retain the captain’s armband until the season concludes. The big point is the Frenchman’s friendship with the former captain, which he has shrugged aside to put in some professional performances against Southampton and West Ham.
The major challenge for Lacazette is to keep the levels of his displays consistent and keep putting in the shift when the team takes on Leeds. Adding goals to his game would be welcomed by everyone, which could also take Arsenal’s attack to the next level and ease the burden on the younger players.
Prediction
Leeds United 0-3 Arsenal
With all the injuries and a depleted squad, it’s hard to see Leeds getting anything out of this game, not even a goal. Considering their previous few results, especially the 7-0 hammering by Manchester City, Bielsa’s side are short on confidence, with Arsenal ready to exploit their weaknesses.
The Gunners are riding high on confidence following successive victories and, more importantly, clean sheets. Their visible improvements with each passing game are evidence of the possibility of putting in an even better performance against Leeds. Expect the Gunners to sweep Bielsa’s men aside to retain their fourth spot.