Leeds United are winless in their last 13 matches against Arsenal, and have taken just a single point off of them since their last win over the Gunners in 2003.
And with Mikel Arteta's side locked into a battle for the Premier League title this season while Javi Gracia's men are fighting for their top-flight survival, this weekend's clash should prove to be another epic contest.
While the Spaniard is often respectful of other sides, it would seem as though the Whites are one of Arteta's favourite teams in the Premier League simply by how much he's praised them over the years.
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So, here's everything Mikel Arteta has said about Leeds since his first meeting as Arsenal boss against them in 2020...
Arsenal vs Leeds - April 1 2023
Last week, Arteta admitted that he wants his players to focus on Leeds throughout the international break and claims they must have the 'hunger' to win.
"[I ask] that they really look after themselves in this period," Arteta said in his post-match interview following their 4-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"We will look after the players that are with us here. [I ask] that they come back with the same mindset and hunger from before to go into Leeds which is the only important game right now. We know it."
Leeds 0-1 Arsenal- October 16 2022
The last time the two sides met back in October of last year, Arteta was full of praise for the Whites both before and after the 1-0 defeat at Elland Road, even highlighting Leeds fans as 'intense'.
Before the match, he said: "The trick is how are we going to prepare for Leeds, mentally and physically. It’s going to be a battle - we know the way they play and how intense it is going to be and the crowd that they have, so it’s going to be a challenge. We have to be at our best again to win there.
"Last year it was incredible - even when we were winning 3-0 that crowd is something that I’ve never seen before, and you can sense that.
"Every time I watch them and I’ve seen some games already and you can hear the noise, so we know how it’s going to be."
After the game, Arteta again praised the Whites, saying: "We made it very difficult for ourselves because we didn't close the game in the first half and we should have done. In the second half, we made too many mistakes that just gave opportunities and belief to Leeds.
"Credit to them. [In] the second half, they were really, really good, incredible atmosphere, and deserves credit for that as well. It’s always intense here.
"We expected periods where it became really chaotic, the game and we have to handle that situation. [In] the first half we had some really, really good moments [in which] we should outplay them and then score two or three and we didn't.
"We left the game open and from the beginning, from the first whistle in the second half we started not at the rhythm and not making the right decisions time after time and we put ourselves in big trouble. Even when you get in those moments, I love the resilience, the fight, the character and the courage the team showed to win the game."
Arsenal 4-2 Leeds - February, 14 2021
Although his side would eventually win 4-2, Arteta realised that Leeds would still be able to make a comeback in the second half despite being 3-0 down at halftime.
Speaking to his players at the break, he warned them of this, saying: "At half-time I told them that if there is a team that can bounce back and still believe they can come here and beat us.
"That’s Leeds."
Arsenal 1-0 Leeds - January 6 2020
After another hard-fought 1-0 win over the Whites for the Gunners, Arteta compared playing against Leeds to going to the dentist following their FA Cup clash.
"Now I'm really pleased but we saw two different teams from the first to second half. I tried to tell them exactly what they were going to face and after 32 minutes we had won one duel, I think.
"We changed our attitude, desire and organisation at half-time and then we were completely different. They had to experience how hard and tough it was going to be.
"I watched a lot of Leeds games and they battered every team every three days. It was good for my players to learn and to suffer on the pitch.
"Thank God, I wasn’t happy at all [after the first half]. If you’re not ready for Leeds, you’ll get exposed. To play against Leeds is like going to the dentist. They are a great team and what they’ve built is powerful.
"When I see what I don’t want to see, I cannot be happy and I have to let them know."
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