Arsenal Leeds United
Leeds United are back at Elland Road this weekend as they host Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side. Both teams have a lot to gain going into Saturday’s game.
The Whites continued their impressive streak, getting a draw against Everton last Monday. But that match could have easily ended up in a win considering how Leeds dominated most of the proceedings. Mikel Arteta’s side will be hoping to bounce back from their defeat against Manchester United last weekend.
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There will be a lot riding on the game; with the Gunners hoping to get back on track in the title race, and Leeds looking over their shoulder after West Ham picked up a surprise win over Sunderland.
Arsenal get huge boost ahead of Leeds United game
During the week, Mikel Arteta mentioned that a few players missed training ahead of their Champions League clash. But one huge update has emerged from the Arsenal camp as Kai Havertz could play on Saturday:
”Yeah, he’s ready, obviously he started the day, obviously it’s been a long period and now we need to manage that load and the games that we’re going to select for him to start, but there was no reaction to that, I think it was super positive, you could see straight away the impact that he can have in the team, so yeah, he’s ready.” Arteta said in the pre-match press conference.
Leeds have their own problems heading into the game, as Lukas Nmecha has been ruled out. The Whites will also be sweating over the fitness of Gabriel Gudmundsson who missed Monday’s game against Everton.
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Kai Havertz could be a problem
Arsenal have played most of this season with Viktor Gyokeres as their main striker. And even though the summer signing has been finding the back of the net this season, his performances have been very questionable. He has not had the best of campaigns, going on long goalless streaks. With Havertz in the lineup, Arsenal are a much better attacking outfit; he is more dynamic and links up play better.
Leeds United will have to be very wary if the German starts on Saturday, he will pose a serious threat to the backline. Daniel Farke will need to work on a gameplan that will help the club get a result at Elland Road.