Arsenal head to Elland Road looking for their first win in the Premier League since January 3rd. They face a Leeds United team that has lost just two games at home all season and has lost one of its last eleven games in all competitions.
In recent weeks, Arsenal have been very lacklustre when it comes to creating chances in open play.
There has also been a struggle with breaking down low blocks; the 0-0 against Nottingham Forest is a good example of this.
Arsenal missed some good chances in the first half, and Forest’s low block became even harder to break down as the game went on.
You would expect a similar approach from Leeds today, so an early goal for the Gunners will be extremely important if they want to try and open the game up.
Line-up dilemmas
There are a few questions to be asked about who will be starting for Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, the biggest of them being whether Eberechi Eze get the nod over Martin Odegaard.
The Arsenal captain has been taken off early in the last three Premier League games:
After 78 minutes vs Liverpool (H)
After 57 minutes vs Nottingham Forest (A)
After 58 minutes vs Manchester United (H)
Interestingly, when asked about Odegaard’s habit of dropping into deep positions rather than staying in an attacking zone, Arteta said it was more of a habit from Odegaard than an instruction.”
“It's a bit of his nature, and my nature is to go to the opposite side. But we need to respect as well the qualities and the talent of players, and within that, they need to feel the freedom to attack, especially to do what they believe is best.”
Kai Havertz returned to action with his first start since February 2025 against Kairat, a game in which he got both an assist and a goal in the first half.
He played as a number 10 next to Eze, and though the level of opposition is much lower compared to the league, he looked very comfortable playing there.
One thing to note is his combinations with Viktor Gyokeres. Havertz played through the pass, which the Swede scored from after just two minutes, and Gyokeres played a crucial part in Havertz’s goal by pushing the defender away, which allowed Havertz some space to get a shot away.
Looking back, prior to his season-ending hamstring injury last year, Havertz had 12 goal contributions by the beginning of February, and he would finish the season as Arsenal’s top scorer in the Premier League (9).
When it comes to a title run-in, the German has stepped up before, notably in 23/24, where between February and May, Havertz got 17 goal contributions.
As we begin to approach that same period of the season, he still might have a crucial role to play in Arsenal’s push for a first league title in 22 years.