Former England international turned pundit, Gary Lineker, has predicted whether Leeds United can pull off an upset against title contenders Arsenal.
Leeds travel to the Emirates, riding the wave of an opening round win over Everton, as Daniel Farke looks to maintain his 100% record in the top flight with the Whites.
Farke was boosted by the arrival of new signing Noah Okafor ahead of the game. He also admitted that he could also hand a debut to Dominic Calvert-Lewin for the trip to London, stating that his new striker is “in good shape”.
The Leeds boss also has to decide whether to stick with his defensive “colossus” Pascal Struijk in the heart of his defence or to hand a full debut to new signing Jaka Bijol, who is available after suspension.
Leeds last secured a win over Arsenal in 2003, and their winless run now stretches to 14 games. Now, Lineker has predicted that the run will continue at the weekend in a tough game for Farke’s side.
Gary Lineker at the Premier League Hall of Fame 2024 Inductions
Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images for Premier League
Gary Lineker makes Leeds United vs Arsenal prediction
Speaking to the official Premier League Instagram account, Lineker delivered a pessimistic assessment of Leeds’ chances of pulling off an upset against the Gunners.
Arsenal kicked off their season with a hard-fought 1-0 away win against Manchester United, thanks to a goal from Riccardo Calafiori. Now, Lineker has backed them to maintain their 100% start to the season with a comfortable win over Leeds.
Lineker said: “Arsenal against Leeds, another one of the newly promoted teams, tough one for them at Arsenal. 3-1 Arsenal.”
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Leeds will be hoping to pull off a repeat of their last trip to Arsenal in the second game of the season, when a quick piece of thinking from Ian Harte helped Leeds over the line after having two men sent off.
Injuries could help Leeds pull off upset
Although the odds are stacked firmly against Leeds in their trip to the Emirates, reports of a run of Arsenal injuries offer some hope to Farke and his side.
According to a report in The Mirror, former Leeds loanee Ben White limped off during the game at Old Trafford and is doubtful for the Leeds game, as is potential replacement Justin Timber, who played a limited role in training this week.
Kai Havertz also picked up a knee injury in the game against Manchester United and is awaiting a full assessment to understand the severity of the issue.
He could join Gabriel Jesus and Christian Norgaard in the treatment room. Although Arsenal will hope to complete their deal to sign Eberechi Eze in time to ease their concerns.