Arsenal return to Premier League action on Saturday lunchtime as they host Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium in a 12.30pm kick-off, with the defending champions looking to respond after a bruising defeat before the international break.
Mikel Arteta’s side went into the fortnight’s pause on the back of a chastening 3-0 loss at Brighton, a result that left them three points adrift of unbeaten Manchester City at the top of the table. Pressure is mounting, but the return to home soil and the emergence of a new striking option could provide the perfect tonic.
Gyokeres set for first Premier League start
All eyes will be on Viktor Gyokeres, who is projected to make his first Premier League start for the Gunners on Saturday. The Sweden international enjoyed a sensational break from club duty, scoring in all four of his country’s fixtures, and Arteta now looks ready to unleash him from the first whistle against the newly promoted visitors.
Gyokeres also has fond memories of this fixture, having netted three times against Leeds last season. He is 11/8 to score anytime at the Emirates, and on current form that looks a more than fair price. Kai Havertz’s absence has opened the door at centre-forward – the German faces up to four weeks out with a hamstring problem – and this may be Gyokeres’s moment to make the number nine shirt his own.
Arsenal team news
The champions’ injury list makes grim reading. William Saliba remains a long-term absentee with a back fracture, while Ezri Konsa is a doubt with a quad issue. Christos Tzolis is sidelined for two to three weeks with a hamstring injury, and Declan Rice is also a doubt after picking up a thigh problem.
There is some welcome news for Arteta, however. Ben White could return from a groin problem and Cristhian Mosquera may be available again after a hamstring injury, both timely boosts for a defence that has been stretched to its limits.
Leeds team news
Daniel Farke’s Leeds arrive in north London unbeaten after five matches, with two wins and three draws, and having conceded just three goals – among the meanest defensive records in the division. Their resilience faces the ultimate examination at the Emirates.
The visitors will be without Mateo Joseph, who is out with an ACL injury, while Joe Rodon misses out with a thigh problem and Dan James is sidelined with a back complaint. Josh Wilson (thigh) and Noah Bahoya (ankle) are both doubts for the trip south.
At the other end of the pitch, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has found his scoring touch with three goals in his last four league games, while goalkeeper James Trafford is averaging four saves per match behind one of the league’s most organised back lines.
Form guide and head-to-head
The bookmakers are firmly in Arsenal’s corner: the Gunners are 4/11 for the win, the draw is 4/1 and Leeds are 15/2 outsiders. Last season’s meetings were one-sided – Arsenal ran out 5-0 winners at the Emirates and took the campaign’s aggregate score 9-0. Yet this Leeds outfit, unbeaten and defensively sound, look a far sterner proposition than the side brushed aside last term.
Arsenal simply cannot afford another slip with City setting a relentless pace above them, and the Emirates crowd will demand a fast start. Expect the hosts to dominate territory, with Gyokeres’s movement a constant menace against a Leeds back line shorn of Rodon.
Prediction and best bets
The standout value could be an Arsenal win with both teams scoring at 12/5. Leeds carry a genuine threat on the counter and through the in-form Calvert-Lewin, and even in defeat they look capable of breaching a patched-up Arsenal defence.
For those feeling braver, a bet builder of an Arsenal win, Gyokeres to score and both teams to score pays a tempting 17/4 – a combination that leans on the Swede’s red-hot form and the champions’ need for three points on Saturday lunchtime.
