There have been plenty of positives for Leeds United in recent months and it has seen them climb to 16th in the Premier League and have a six point cushion to West Ham, who occupy the last place in the relegation zone.
On Monday they drew 1-1 with **Everton.**It was a game where **Daniel Farke's**side looked strong and, particularly in the first half, they caused the home side problems. There was a big moment in the match where they could have gone 2-0 up but Dominic Calvert-Lewin hit the post. Overall, away from home it is a positive point.
At the start of the season when Leeds went to the Emirates Stadium to play Arsenal it ended 5-0 to the Gunners so the side from West Yorkshire will be hoping for a better outcome this time.
Mikel Arteta's side are still four points clear at the top of the table but are without a win in their last three league games. They had back-to-back 0-0 draws and suffered a 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United last week. Therefore, they may be making the journey north with a point to prove.
Home advantage
Some of Leeds' biggest results have come at Elland Road this season and they are currently unbeaten in their last five home matches.
If they are to stay up then it will be their home form that plays a key part towards this.
In the positive home run, they have had impressive draws with **Liverpool**and Manchester United, as well as a win against **Chelsea.**They scored a late winner to beat **Fulham**1-0 in their last home match.
It can be expected that **Arsenal**will provide a tough test and Farke's side will have to be alert, particularly at set-pieces if they are to keep a clean sheet.
Leeds will come into the game with an element of confidence and, whilst their plan may be to keep the scores level at 0-0 for as long as possibly, they will likely feel as though they can grow into the game.
Calvert-Lewin has proven that he can find the net against some of the best sides in the league and it is another chance, in a game of this magnitude, to continue towards staking his own claim for a potential England World Cup place.
Ultimately, after the 5-0, they will be looking to show signs of their improvement this time around.
Leeds are still in the fight for survival
Despite their good run of form since late November, Farke's side are only two places above the drop zone. They do have a six point lead but Nottingham Forest have closed the gap and they are now just a point behind Leeds.
Leeds have two home games in the space of a week as they host Forest next week. There will likely be a feeling that if they can get a positive result against Forest then they can start to increase the pressure on the sides above them. Leeds, to their credit, have not played like a side under pressure in recent games.
However, if Forest were to win, then it would have Leeds looking below their shoulder and possibly give them something to worry about.
With eight draws this season and three draws in their last five matches, the criticism of Leeds may be that on their recent run they have not necessarily won as many games as they would have liked. A win against **Everton**would have strengthened their position, given that it was a weekend where Forest and West Ham both won.
Tough games on the horizon
The Arsenal fixture begins what, on paper, looks a challenging month in February.
There is the Forest game but then league games against Chelsea, Aston Villa and Manchester City follow.
Farke will likely remind his side that they have already beat Chelsea and that they put in a good showing away at the Etihad Stadium. However, they are undoubtedly games that could provide a real challenge.
If Leeds can get through those games and have picked up some points to still be in a good position then it will inevitably increase their survival chances and prevent them really being dragged back into the scrap.
Against Arsenal, the performance could be just as important as the result as Farke will want to see his side continue to give a good account of themselves, proving that they can compete at this level. They did that on Merseyside on Monday and, after a full week's rest, his side should be ready to take on the league leaders.