Arsenal might have had a roller coaster ride this season but as things stand, they are the favourites to grab the final Champions League spot on the table.
The Gunners are currently fourth on the Premier League table, two points ahead of Spurs and in their next league encounter, they welcome Leeds United to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Arsenal had seen a sudden slump in form but they have successfully managed to redeem themselves by picking up wins against Chelsea, Man United and West Ham United, one after the other. They will obviously go into this weekend’s tie as the favourites but after this match, they play Spurs in the North London Derby so Mikel Arteta will surely have one eye on that tie.
The outcome of the derby could decide which team finishes fourth on the table so it won’t be a big surprise if the Gunners boss chooses to rotate his starting line up on Sunday. Leeds go into this tie at the back of a 4-0 loss to Man City so their confidence will be at an all-time low and this is the perfect opportunity for the home side to ring in some changes.
Arsenal team news vs Leeds United:
The manager is working with a very thin squad so heavy rotation is not a luxury which Mikel Arteta can afford at this point in time.
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Ben White missed the West Ham win due to a hamstring issue and he might not be fit for this tie as well. If White is ready then he’s a guaranteed starter but otherwise, Rob Holding and Gabriel are going to pair up in central defence.
Updating on Ben White’s injury, the Arsenal manager had said last weekend: “Ben got injured [vs Man United], he felt a muscular problem and we checked him. We will have to access him in the next few days to see how he is.”
Tomiyasu finally got a start after returning from his injury lay-off but we are more than certain that Cedric Soares is going to come into the side for the Arsenal vs Leeds United tie.
Thomas Partey is ruled out for the rest of the season but in his absence, Elneny has moved up the pecking order and has done remarkably well alongside Xhaka.
With the North London Derby coming up, Arteta might just want to rest one of these players on Sunday and if that is the case then Lokonga will be the one to come into the starting XI.
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Martinelli provided an assist against the Hammers but we expect Emile Smith Rowe to replace him on the left-hand side.
Nketiah has been successfully keeping Alex Lacazette on the bench but the Frenchman should be coming back into the side against Leeds United. Eddie Nketiah is the one in form which is why Mikel Arteta will want to keep his well-rested and injury-free for the Spurs match.
In terms of tactics, Mikel Arteta does not have the luxury to fiddle around too much because he has a very limited number of players at his disposal. He is going to set up his side in the same 4-2-3-1 system, with Xhaka and Lokonga/Elneny playing as the two central midfielders and Odegaard operating as the No 10.
Arsenal predicted line up vs Leeds United:
Predicted Starting Line up(4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; Cedric, Holding, Gabriel, Tavares; Xhaka, Lokonga/Elneny; Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka, Odegaard; Lacazette.
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