Elland Road is the venue where an in-form Leeds United host leaders Arsenal, who are winless in their last three Premier League games.
Daniel Farke and the travelling Leeds United support dreamt of having a substantial lead away from the relegation zone on Monday night before the big test against Arsenal at the weekend. James Justin’s opener midway through the first half may have proved enough as the visitors held their own until late.
The in-form Thierno Barry equalised for Everton, ensuring a share of the spoils, but represented another giant step towards safety. Leeds United are now six points away from the relegation zone, although wins for West Ham over the weekend meant they did lose some ground in their quest for safety.
However, ahead of this testing game at Elland Road against Arsenal, Farke will rely on their strong home form, where they have lost just twice all season. Leeds United are also unbeaten in their last five games here, since losing to Aston Villa back in November, although their record against Arsenal needs some change of fortune.
Arsenal have cast some doubts over their credentials for the title following a shock defeat to Manchester United at the Emirates last Sunday. The loss was their first on home soil this season across all competitions, while they also conceded three goals in a game for the first time since December 2023.
Mikel Arteta was all positive in his press conference for the Champions League encounter against Kazakh minnows Kairat Almaty. He claimed to have had a conversation with the players over their journey in the next four months, and the team duly responded with a dominating victory over Kairat at the Emirates on Wednesday.
However, their league form has cast some worrying glances from their supporters after going three games without a win. The loss to Manchester United may have deflated the mood at the Emirates, but Arsenal will look to bounce back on this away trip to Leeds United, having won against their hosts in their last six encounters.
Team News & Tactics
Leeds United
Daniel Farke could be boosted by the possible returns of Gabriel Gudmundsson and Daniel James, although the duo will go through a late assessment ahead of the Arsenal game to determine their participation. Defender Jaka Bijol is certainly out of contention, as Farke mentioned the defender may have a chance to feature for the Nottingham Forest clash.
There is another injury issue, with Lukas Nmecha suffering from a hamstring problem during the warm-up against Everton. Otherwise, Farke does not have any fresh problems compared to the squad he had against Everton, meaning he could rely on his regular performers in the recent good period to get the job done against Arsenal. There are some concerns over Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s scoring form.
The striker had a six-game scoring run from November to December, but has since netted just once in his last five Premier League encounters, and is yet to do so against Arsenal since 2020. The Englishman could form a partnership with Brenden Aaronsen in a front two, while Farke will rely on his regular formation of having five in the middle and three at the back.
With Gudmundsson still a doubt, James Justin could occupy the left-hand side of the wing, with Jaydon Bogle on the right. Anton Stach, Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev represent Farke’s strongest midfield options, while Pascal Struijk, Joe Rodon and Sebastiaan Bornauw will feature at the back.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Darlow; Rodon, Struijk, Bornauw; Bogle, Stach, Ampady, Gruev, Justin; Aaronson, Calvert-Lewin
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta heavily rotated his squad in midweek, handing rest to most of his key starters, including the entire backline that started against Manchester United. Piero Hincapie might continue to play at left-back if the manager feels Riccardo Calafiori is not fit to start games in full force, although the Italian did play in central defence during midweek.
William Saliba, Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Magalhaes should return to the side, as should Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi alongside Martin Odegaard in the midfield setting. Max Dowman remains the only casualty in terms of injury, with the teenager yet to return to the squad from an ankle problem suffered months ago.
Viktor Gyokeres started against Kairat Almaty and should be in line to lead the line despite Kai Havertz putting in a top-notch performance in midweek. The German international featured in a midfield role and remains an option if Arteta feels he could help the team against Leeds United.
There could be more returns to the lineup, as Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard should replace Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli in the wide roles, respectively. Gabriel Jesus might stay on as a bench option for this trip, as Arteta might value the physicality of Gyokeres to lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Trossard; Gyokeres
Key Stats
- Leeds United are unbeaten in their last five home games. The Whites have lost just two games all season at Elland Road in the Premier League. However, they have never won a Premier League home game against the side starting the day top of the table (D7 L7). Leeds have lost all three against Arsenal, going down 4-1 in September 2002, 4-1 in November 2003 and 1-0 in October 2022.
- Arsenal have won their last seven matches against Leeds United in all competitions.
- Arsenal are winless in their last three Premier League games. The Gunners have not lost consecutive league games since December 2023.
- Arsenal have scored 4+ goals in eight different Premier League games against Leeds United, beating them 5-0 in August’s reverse fixture. Only against Everton (12) have they done so more in the competition.
- Leeds United have lost just one of their last ten Premier League games (W3 D6), with that defeat coming at Newcastle courtesy of two stoppage time goals. No side has lost fewer games than the Whites since the start of December (1).
Player to Watch
Martin Odegaard
The big criticism from Arsenal’s loss to Manchester United circled around the lack of leadership on the pitch when the team chased a goal. Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice have come under the scanner in that regard, although it is the captain who is under the microscope.
Having put in some mixed performances when fit this term, Odegaard should be pushing towards helping the team dominate games in all phases. While he has the ability, the Norwegian must put in a performance worthy of recognition and help the team win, as the Leeds United trip could be that opportunity to make a mark.
Prediction
Leeds United 1-2 Arsenal
Ever since the win over Chelsea at home, Leeds United have grown in confidence when taking on any team at Elland Road. They are unbeaten here for five league games, but this upcoming clash with Arsenal could be a big test of character, although they are also under pressure to keep a safe distance from the relegation zone.
Arsenal are also under tremendous pressure to keep hold of their four-point advantage at the top, as Arteta will demand a big win. For the Gunners boss, a win may not be enough as he will want a solid performance from his players to help them portray their true character in this title race, something they might deliver to some degree at Elland Road.
