Arsenal are set to resume their Premier League campaign at the Emirates, where unbeaten Leeds United will be the visitors.
The Premier League experienced a long international break following a three-week hiatus from club football. The last few days have been important for Arsenal following the announcement of Mikel Arteta’s new long-term deal, which is a signal of intent from the league champions over their future, stability and continuity.
The Gunners have made a solid start to the season, winning four of their five matches, but suffered an untimely and heavy defeat away to Brighton before the international break. Arteta will have conducted an inquest into his players’ display at the Amex. Arsenal sit second in the standings, only three points behind leaders Manchester City, who have made a perfect start to their campaign.
Arsenal will now return to the Emirates after playing four consecutive matches away from home in all competitions, and Arteta will want the crowd behind his team on Saturday. The Gunners take on an unbeaten Leeds United side and will hope to repeat last season’s results, when they scored nine goals across the two league meetings, including five at the Emirates.
Daniel Farke brings his in-form Leeds United side to the Emirates, hoping to continue their impressive start to the new campaign. Not only have they collected nine points so far, but they are also one of five teams yet to lose after five matches.
Much like Arteta, Farke has been linked with a new contract in the coming months, as Leeds have already started thinking about achieving important things this season. While they had been in excellent goalscoring form, the team stumbled at Elland Road last time out, managing only a goalless draw against Crystal Palace.
Their record against Arsenal is not particularly encouraging, especially after last season’s results, when they suffered a 5-0 hammering at the Emirates before losing 4-0 at Elland Road. However, there is an argument that this Leeds side is much stronger than last season’s team, and Farke will hope they can produce a tighter contest this time around.
Several Arsenal players returned from the international break with fitness concerns, and the club will monitor the extent of a few key injuries. Kai Havertz suffered a hamstring problem during Germany’s clash with the Netherlands, while Christos Tzolis sustained a similar injury during Greece’s draw against the Netherlands.
Ezri Konsa returned before England’s final international fixture, although his problem is not considered serious at this stage. Nevertheless, he remains a doubt for the Leeds match. Arsenal will also assess Declan Rice, Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera, with the latter two having returned to full training earlier in the week.
Jurrien Timber is thought to be fit after playing a decent number of minutes for the Netherlands during the international break. Arteta could therefore choose between White and the Dutchman at right-back. Mosquera could replace Konsa if the latter is ruled out.
Martin Odegaard suffered a knock during Norway’s match against Portugal but has since featured for his country, suggesting he should be fit to face Leeds. Any doubt over Rice could see Arteta start with Bruno Guimaraes and Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield.
Viktor Gyokeres is expected to lead the line, while Eberechi Eze could get another run of games as Arsenal’s left winger.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Guimaraes, Lewis-Skelly; Saka, Gyokeres, Eze
Farke has several doubtful players ahead of the trip to Arsenal, including winger Daniel James and defender Joe Rodon. Jean-Mattéo Bahoya also returned early from the France Under-21 squad with an ankle problem and is likely to miss the trip to north London.
On the positive side, winger Harry Wilson could return to the matchday squad following his recovery from a muscle problem that has kept him out of recent games. However, there are doubts over whether the former Fulham attacker will start, as Farke may not want to make too many changes to a side that has been in excellent form.
Farke is expected to retain James Justin in the three-man defence, alongside the impressive Nico Elvedi and Tarik Muharemovic. James Trafford will start in goal after an impressive international break with England. The Leeds boss will rely on Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka and Anton Stach in midfield, with Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson operating in the wide areas.
Up front, the in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin will lead the line. The English forward endured an underwhelming international call-up but will hope to end his long-standing drought against Arsenal. He is likely to be partnered by Swiss forward Noah Okafor.
Probable line-up (3-5-2) – Trafford; Justin, Elvedi, Muharemovic; Bogle, Tanaka, Stach, Ampadu, Gudmundsson; Calvert-Lewin, Okafor
Arteta will hope his top scorer from last season can deliver in the absence of Havertz, with the manager having limited options to lead the line. Gyokeres opened his Arsenal account against Leeds last season and will hope to repeat the feat after an underwhelming start to the new campaign at club level.
On the international stage, Gyokeres set a Nations League record by scoring in six consecutive matches and then extended that run by finding the net in a seventh. Arteta’s main hope is that the Swedish striker can carry his international goalscoring form into Arsenal, as his performances will be crucial for the Gunners in the weeks ahead.
Leeds United have been one of the division’s in-form teams this season, and Farke will hope to extend their unbeaten run when they face Arsenal. However, their record against the north Londoners is poor, and they could end up underestimating the reigning champions based on Arsenal’s performance against Brighton.
Arsenal will want to respond strongly to that defeat with a convincing display against Leeds. They may not score as many goals as they did in last season’s two meetings, but they are still expected to collect three points, probably without keeping a clean sheet in the process.
