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Arsenal welcome Leeds United to the Emirates as they look to end a run of back-to-back league defeats.
The hosts dropped into the bottom half of the table following last weekend’s defeat against Aston Villa and could find themselves as low as 13th if they fail to win here and results go against them.
A top-four finish looked like a genuine possibility for Arsenal when they held title contenders Manchester United to a goalless draw just a couple of weeks ago, but controversial defeats against Wolves and Aston Villa have drastically changed the atmosphere around the club. Mikel Arteta’s side head into this clash in 11th place but will take some confidence from their recent home form.
The Gunners are undefeated in their last five league outings at the Emirates and have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three.
This game should suit the home team, with creative forces Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe likely to get more time on the ball than was the case against a disciplined Aston Villa side last time out. Arsenal are unbeaten against Leeds since March 2003, a run spanning eight games across league and cup.
Leeds will be looking for nothing short of three points on Sunday. The Whites dominated the proceedings when the two sides faced off back in November and were unlucky not to find a winner as Arsenal ground out a goalless draw.
The Whites leapfrogged Arsenal in the table after a routine 2-0 win over Crystal Palace and have now won three of their last four league games.
One area of concern for the visitors will be their questionable form against the ‘traditional big six’ clubs. Marcelo Bielsa’s side have claimed just two points from six games against those clubs this season, conceding 17 goals along the way. That said, the Yorkshire side should fare better this weekend, given Arsenal’s woes in front of goal this season.
Team News
Arsenal duo Bernd Leno and David Luiz are both available after completing their suspensions and will return to the starting XI here. Left-back Kieran Tierney remains sidelined with a calf injury, so Cedric Soares will continue to fill in on his unfavoured side. Arteta will also be without defensive midfielder Thomas Partey, who has suffered another muscle injury that will keep him on the sidelines for the next couple of weeks.
In terms of changes, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looks set to return on the left, despite Nicolas Pepe’s recent spike in form. A recall is also on the cards for central midfielder Dani Ceballos, who will step in to replace the injured Partey alongside Granit Xhaka.
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa will look to name an unchanged starting XI following Monday night’s convincing win. The visitors have a host of injury concerns but only one to a first-team regular in Rodrigo. Defensive duo Diego Llorente and Robin Koch are both sidelined until March, while former Manchester City youngster Ian Poveda is ruled out with an ankle injury.
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