Arsenal continue their Premier League march against Leeds United on Sunday at Elland Road after picking up three points in Europa League against FK Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.
The Gunners are currently at the top of the Premier League table and nine points away from falling out of a Champions League qualification spot after back-to-back wins against fellow title hopefuls Spurs and Liverpool. A win against Leeds would stretch Arsenal’s lead at the top to four points before Manchester City play Jurgen Klopp’s Reds in the same afternoon.
Arteta will take confidence from the fact that Leeds have failed to win in their last five Premier League matches. However, they will not be pushovers at Elland Road as Chelsea experienced this season after 3-0.
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In terms of team news, Gabriel Jesus is likely to be the only starting player from last week’s match against Liverpool who could potentially miss out on the clash against Leeds on Sunday. This could see a first Premier League start for Eddie Nketiah if the Brazilian is not deemed fit to play.
Thankfully for Arteta, football.london's Arsenal writers Kaya Kaynak, Tom Canton, and Bailey Keogh are on hand to offer up some assistance. Below, they take a look at who they think should be starting for the home side in Sunday's clash against Leeds.
Kaya Kaynak - Chief Arsenal writer
I would look to ring the changes if I were Mikel Arteta ahead of the Leeds clash. People seem to have been impressed with Matt Turner's display against Bodo, but despite some very good sweeping I didn't see enough on the ball to suggest that he's ready to start ahead of Aaron Ramsdale.
Personally I feel if you drop Kieran Tierney again this season then you risk losing him in a way that's not worth it given Oleksandr Zincehno's injury record. I also think the Scot's overlapping runs might be useful given the space Leeds are likely to leave in behind.
I wouldn't look to change anything from the usual midfield three of Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard and Granit Xhaka despite the fact that all three played in midweek.
Up front Mikel Arteta did appear to suggest to football.london that Gabriel Jesus could be a doubt for this match after missing the trip to Norway. With the Brazilian being so important, it doesn't feel like it's worth risking him from the start in a game where Eddie Nketiah could be trusted to do a job. The 23-year-old has history with Leeds after his loan spell there and I'd unleash him for the chance of taking revenge.
Kaynak's Arsenal XI vs Leeds - Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.
Tom Canton - Arsenal writer
The team near enough picks itself for the Premier League games. Bar one position, there are no areas where a starting player should be taken out right now, the side has been very strong indeed.
The position in question is at left-back. Takehiro Tomiyasu might as well have been called “TomiHERO” for his efforts to stop Mohamed Salah from having a sniff against the Gunners last weekend.
However, Leeds is a different prospect and with more possession expected, perhaps it is better that Kieran Tierney returns to the side to make better of the opportunities to progress the ball. That said, what does dropping the Japanese international say about rewarding great performances?
Although, with PSV and Xavi Simons arriving on Thursday, maybe Tomiyasu would be better off deployed against the Dutch side with Tierney more suited to the Premier League opposition. Elsewhere, as I say, the team picks itself.
Canton's Arsenal XI vs Leeds - Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard; Saka, Martinelli, Jesus
Bailey Keogh - Arsenal writer
Mikel Arteta's defence picks itself in the Premier League, with the left-back position being the position up for debate. Ben White, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are all guaranteed starters. For the match against Leeds, I would opt for Takehiro Tomiyasu after his excellent exploits against Liverpool and the fact that Tierney had played in midweek, means that he could do with a rest.
Thomas Partey unsurprisingly anchors the midfield, and he plays alongside Granit Xhaka, who is currently having his best season in an Arsenal shirt. Martin Odegaard takes the final midfield spot also due to his excellent performances.
Despite uncertainties surrounding Gabriel Jesus, even if he isn’t fully fit I’d still keep him in the starting line-up as he is a crucial presence up-top. Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka on either side of the Brazilian maintain their spot to keep the threat of arguably the most dangerous front-three in the league.
Keogh's Arsenal XI vs Leeds - Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard, Martinelli, Saka, Jesus
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