Arsenal resume their Premier League campaign on Sunday when they lock horns with Leeds United in a fascinating contest at Elland Road. The Gunners are desperate for a victory following a 3-0 loss against Aston Villa in their last game, that sees them dawdle in mid-table. A win should also relieve some of the pressure of Mikel Arteta, who has received a lot of flak for his team’s bad performances this season.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup Vs Leeds United
Defence
Arteta will have key decisions to make as far as his team selection in the defensive department is concerned. Gabriel Magalhaes is pretty much a guaranteed starter at the heart of the club’s four-man backline, but it remains to be seen who partners him this weekend.
David Luiz is the favourite due to Rob Holding’s poor performance against Aston Villa in the last game while Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari are still dealing with fitness problems.
Hector Bellerin is an automatic starter at right-back, ahead of Cedric Soares while Arteta will have no option but to continue with Kieran Tierney at left-back as Sead Kolasinac has been ruled out due to Covid-19. Tierney has been excellent in deputising for the injured Andrew Robertson for the Scottish national team, so it will be interesting to see how he performs this weekend.
Bernd Leno, meanwhile, is a guaranteed starter in between the sticks as the German looks to bag his third clean sheet of the campaign.
Midfield
In midfield, Arteta could potentially have to deal without the services of Mohamed Elneny (Covid-19) and new signing Thomas Partey, who is a doubt after picking up a knock during the Aston Villa game.
Arsenal are yet to provide an official statement regarding the Ghanaian’s fitness status, so it would be wise to assume Dani Ceballos and Granit Xhaka are spearheading the midfield for the away side this weekend. Bukayo Saka, meanwhile, should occupy the additional midfield role, looking to provide the creative essence going forward.
Attack
There have been calls to bring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back to his preferred central attacking role following the attacker’s struggles in finding the back of the net this season. However, given Leeds United’s marauding fullbacks, Arteta could be tempted to deploy the Gabonese international out wide once again, alongside Willian.
It essentially means that the Arsenal attack could once again be led by Alexandre Lacazette. The Frenchman must improve, however, especially with Eddie Nketiah pushing for a place in the starting lineup.
