Arsenal vs Leeds prediction, expected line-ups, how to watch and stats
Saturday’s early evening fixture sees Arsenal welcome newly promoted Leeds to the Emirates, with both sides looking to grab their second victory of the season.
Arsenal snuck into Old Trafford last weekend and pinched three points, while a fortunate penalty gave Leeds a 1-0 win over Everton.
The Gunners’ toothless performance against Manchester United won’t see Liverpool losing any sleep.
Viktor Gyokeres failed to get a shot off against Manchester United, and Arsenal’s new striker will be keen to put that behind him and impress the fans on his home debut, especially as so much rests on his shoulders this season.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will be hoping for much better against a Leeds side aiming to snatch as many points as they can by any means possible.
They are unbeaten in 14 encounters with Leeds. You have to go all the way back to May 2003 to find the Whites last victory, with Mark Viduka netting an 89th minute winner.
Leeds come to the Emirates with nothing to lose and are likely to spend most of the match trying to kick lumps out of the men in red and white.
The set-piece count is expected to be high in this bruising encounter, with both sides leaning heavily on corners and free-kicks.
Arsenal are red-hot favourites for the match, but it’s unlikely to be one for the purists.
Arsenal vs Leeds: Where to watch and listen
The match will be live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League on Saturday, August 23 with a 1730pm kick-off. The match can also be streamed through Now TV and the Sky Sports app. Meanwhile, radio commentary is available on BBC Radio 5 Live
Arsenal team news
Eberechi Eze’s impending arrival from Crystal Palace might come too late to dislodge Gabriel Martinelli from Arsenal’s starting line-up.
The luckless Kai Havertz has a new knee injury, though how long the striker will be out for is yet to be revealed.
Ben White, Christian Norgaard and Leandro Trossard all face late fitness tests before the match, while Gabriel Jesus is still recovering from an ACL injury.
Arsenal predicted line-up
(4-3-3) Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli
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Leeds team news
Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu will miss the match leaving the Everton game early. He is unlikely to be back in action until after the September international break, Ilia Gruev is likely to step in.
Jaka Bijol is back from suspension and could to start, but new striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin may have to wait for his chance with the former England man unlikely to dislodge Nmecha and Joel Piroe at the tip of the spear.
Leeds predicted line-up
Perri; Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Gudmundsson; Stach, Ampadu, Tanaka; Gnonto, Nmecha, Harrison
Arsenal vs Leeds stats
– Leeds have lost their last six matches against Arsenal
– Leeds lost 4-1 to Arsenal in their last visit to the Emirates in April 2023
– Leeds last beat Arsenal back in 2003, 14 encounters ago
– Daniel Farke lost 4-0 and 5-0 the last time he visited the Emirates as Norwich manager
– Arsenal won all six games against newly promoted sides last season
– Leeds lost only six games across all competitions last season, failing to score in all those defeats
Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) quotes
On beating Man Utd last weekend
“Big, big result coming in the first game of the season at Old Trafford. When you feel that they are building something special, momentum, with a new signing and they want to kick on the season in a good way and you are able to come away with the win.”
On Viktor Gyokeres’ debut
“He did a lot of things very good. You can tell, especially in our high pressing, the rhythm that we demand, especially in the first half, we’re giving a bit too much time. It’s something that we have to work on, especially there.
“And then in the finalising situation, he didn’t have that many chances to do that because, as I said, on the previous action before we had to play that last ball that the line was standing still with 40 metres behind, we managed to put the ball through to exploit his quality. But overall, coming away to Manchester United, winning your first game with Arsenal, it’s a good start.”
Daniel Farke (Leeds) quotes
On Ampadu injury
“Bad news with him, sadly. For the next few games, we will have to play without him. He has an MCL injury and will definitely be out until at least the international break. I hope to have him back after the international break.
“Normally, he’s pretty quick to return to training after an injury. He’s a tough boy. It’s a blow for us, and we will miss him in the upcoming games—at least the two Premier League games and the cup game.”
On possible Calvert-Lewin debut
“We’ll see. Each and every training session with the team is important for him. He had a long summer break, followed by a few weeks of individual training, where his general endurance was at a really good level. However, what he has missed is team training, and for that reason, each session is crucial.”
On the challenge of facing Arsenal
“We won’t sell out our DNA and park the bus. If you just try to defend you have no chance to survive there. We will try to be there with many periods with the ball. Will try and create chances to scare them. There will be periods where we suffer and we have to be well structured.”
Arsenal vs Leeds referee stats
Arsenal fans won’t be happy that Jarred Gillett has been appointed to take charge of the Leeds match.
He was on VAR duties when William Saliba was shown a red card against Bournemouth last season. The Aussie upgrading a yellow to red.
Gillet was in the middle for City’s 4-0 win over Wolves last weekend dishing out three yellow cards.
He averaged 4.25 yellows in 16 Premier League games last season, and 22.06 fouls per game.
Arsenal vs Leeds prediction
There’s no value in a straight Arsenal win, so backing them to win to nil offers more appeal.
Arsenal conceded 17 goals in 19 home games last season and had the best defence in the Premier League last season.
For all their attacking intent against Everton on Monday night, Leeds still needed an iffy penalty to secure the win.
If Declan Rice is on song he can be unstoppable and his attacking prowess has improved dramatically since making the move from East to North London.
That makes him a reliable shout when it comes to the shot market, with the midfielder having +2 shots in 10 of his last 12 Premier League games. He had three shots against Manchester United.
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