Confirmed Arsenal starting line-up to take on Leeds today

Arsenal can build a four-point gap over Tottenham in their race to return to the Champions League should they win today, and as expected, we have made few changes to our starting line-up to take on Leeds.

The Gunners overcame West Ham last weekend with the likes of Kieran Tierney, Thomas Partey and Ben White all absent through injury, and the trio all miss out again today.

The defender was missing from the https://www.arsenal.com/premier-league-training-pictures-leeds-united-london-colney-mikel-arteta which led us to leave him out of our predicted line-up, despite Arteta insisting that he could be in contention to feature when speaking in his pre-match conference.

Ramsdale
Tomiyasu Holding Gabriel Tavares
Elneny Xhaka
Martinelli Odegaard Saka
Nketiah

As you can see, we was just one full-back away from being spot-on.

This team should have more than enough to claim all three points if they can overcome the pressure of what is at stake, but I feel like the home crowd will be able to help us settle and do what is needed this afternoon.

What are your predictions after seeing the Arsenal XI?

Patrick

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Tags Arsenal v Leeds Leeds

154 Comments

    1. I know Some pple will still come and say Leeds were shit, thats why we are winning, just to take the credit away from the coach and his boys. But Leeds came at us pushing hard for the win, pressing high from all angle, but we were looking very sharp to overcome the pressing and then d goals started coming in. With leads ten men we should score more goals

  1. Hoping for a 3 -1 win today. Leeds will come at us pushing hard for the win as they are in a relegation fight. With Leeds pushing it will leave them vulnerable for arsenal to score a few goals. COYG

  2. I think Soares will play as an inverted LB again, similar to what Cancelo has been doing for Man City. It’s been a very long time since he played that role

    We’d likely surprise Leeds using that tactic. Tavares can always play in the second half, if we can’t score

  3. 3 points and it’s ours to lose even a loss at spurs would leave our fate in our own hands at that point. Suspect Cedric is being given a run out at lb with spurs in mind, thought he’d play then didn’t expect him to start today but makes sense.

  4. Could be an experiment also for Spurs in mind come Thursday as I am sure svery team looks at our LB position as vulnerable. Cedric has played there before, let’s see how he does today with Martinelli ahead of him!

    Cmon young guns get the 3 points today and get one hand on that champions league spot. It’s our to lose

  5. Would have Cedric and Tomiasu swapped around, Tomiasu supposed to be dual footed. Team as expected apart from. Maybe Leeds stronger from left, im not sure but i predict 3-0.

  6. We just need today’s win and draw in NLD and win against either Newcastle or Everton… Then top Will be sealed

    1. Welcome back Sue! So glad you are back saying those booms…
      Have you been commenting in the community of Arsenal news channel in youtube?

        1. I do visit once or twice. Seen many funny comments there.. saw many people jump on one or two comments of yours as well. Great place for banter lol.

          1. It’s hilarious, Sid.. so many wind-up merchants on there and they’re not even gooners 🤣

        2. Welcome back Sue.

          We were concerned that you might not have been OK! Good and relieved to see you on JA again!

  7. Meslier Has made 2nd error against Arsenal..
    I think last season also he had made an error
    Good press by Niketiah

  8. Cedric has proved to be very good in the team but at rightback since he replaced the injured Tomiyasu but who is now fit and starting our home Leeds match today.

    But I hope the dropping of the pacey Taveres at leftback to the bench by Arteta will not distrust the defensive and attacking fluency of the team today from the left wingback.

    And I hope also Arsenal will not make the mistake to take beating the relegation battlers Leeds Utd for granted. Which if they do may cost them drop points in the match.

    Rather, let me charge the Gunners starting this match and those of them who will come on in the match to turn up and step up their playing in the match considerably. So that they can overcome and nullify whatever game playing which the Whites may have on offer to play against Arsenal in the match. And overcome them they Whites with a match win today.

  9. So in 10 starts, Eddie has done more than Laca has all season. Why oh why, didn’t Arteta give him a chance earlier in the season? Might have had a better hold on 4th.

    1. MARC Wouldnt you agree with me and many others that is ONLY since Eddie decided to work flat out that he has made this big leap forward?
      ALL players, no matter who or how talented, NEED to give 100%every game.

      That is the deal they agree, morally speaking , with we fans who pay them such huge wages, albeit indirectly. Agree? Or not and if not, then why not?

  10. Arsenal have taken the lead in the match before I finish typing my comment and post it. Thanks to Nkethia’s Boom: as Sue wrote.

    Great start by Arsenal. I hope they will keep it up scoring more goals and block Leeds from scoring up to match end.

  11. That was a serious foul. Is it worthy of a red though? Certainly a rash challenge with two studs flying in…

      1. Rafinha will follow him shortly i bet, 2nd yellow for a simulation trying to get gabriel sent off😉

  12. Leeds are losing their shit, need to wary of any scuffle red card especially gabriel and xhaka. Xhaka already been targeted once.

  13. Could Chelsea win of the WSL title today’s afternoon galvanized the Gunners to wrestle the EPL 3rd place finish from the hands of the Blues this season?

    1. hopefully,the women missing the title by 1 point must be heartbreaking for the players.

  14. Walk in the park!
    Unless someone wearing red and white does something very silly to level the playing field somewhat. As has been seen recently in the CL with city, a 2 goal lead even in the 90th minute doesn’t guarantee a win.

    Looking good though. Bring on the spuds!

  15. Two players we can get from relegation threatened clubs are Richarlison and Raphinha. Hope relegation means discounts for them…

      1. Yes, maybe Richarlison if Everton gets relegated. He can be a forward for us as well do well on the wings…

    1. I think Everton will stay up… I want Burnley to go, but looking really dodgy for Leeds

      1. Lampard might well make them stay up Sue. Very few players of interest in the EPL within the budgets…. Trossard of Brighton is a great player too. If Leeds et relegated then Raphinha will be available for cheap hopefully. Can be a good winger and that outlet for us in low block games. Just I hope his temper cools down lol, been giving Xhaka a fight for hothead this game.

          1. Phillips is a great shout Sue. Will slot in our midfield well i just hole he is not injury prone..

    1. He is not an Arteta CF
      He should go let Arteta get his own CF
      We all want to see how the team will perform with Arteta’s CF
      He has been forced to play Auba, Laca and Nketiah
      He should get his own CF we all want to see it

      1. Arteta would likely get his own CF, but Nketiah had better stay to compete with the new CF

  16. Score another two early in the 2nd half and then take saka ode and nketia off for Thursday

  17. Well done Nketiah, he has a habit of forcing errors from defensive lines & gks. And his two goals made the rest of this half a stroll in the park. Just need to keep our cool and finish the game now. And sad for our Ladies 😢. Hopefully next season.

  18. There’s only one way to not win this game and that’s getting a red card. Lets hope certain someones keep a cool head.

  19. It will be interesting to see how the 9 man Leeds team that will now have to be parking the BUS. will cope with 11 man Arsenak team in this match. Without conceding avalanche of goals in the match from the Gunners before the match end.

  20. So sad for the ladies! So close to winning… well we go again for next season! It seems Wolfsburg have ceded their dominance on the Womens’ CL and Barcelona are the new Queens on the block? Hope we beat Chelsea for next season’s PL and try hard in the CL…
    As for the Men, it would be a cracking game next Thursday at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium!
    COYG!

    1. you have forgotten Lyon,one of the best women team of the last decade.they are in the final against Barca after beating PSG in the semis.

  21. I think in this our home Leeds match, Arsenal now have the chance to try and reduce or cancell out Tottenham 6 goals difference advantage in the table on Arsenal before the NLD match showdown between the duo North London giants club sides.

    1. i doubt it, sometimes when a team goes down to 10 men they just park the bus,making harder to score.

  22. We need to improve our goal scored and diff. Never know with this crazy league when we might need it.

  23. I hope I am not appearing picky, but I think that we need a bit more ruthlessness…. just as I write this, then that happens
    Grr!

  24. When will we improve our terrible finishing? Should have been at least 5 up in this match now its 2-1

    1. Gd is irrelevant except in the weirdest of circumstances. Just need to win games. Win this, win the final two done.

  25. Absolutely horrendous from Cedric not being able to clear the ball and giving away the corner.

  26. But Arteta has said it several times that he wants Nkethia to stay. And extends to continue with Arsenal. Arteta has twice refused to sanction the sale of Nkethia to Crystal Palace last 2 windows when they came to Arsenal wanting to buy the ace goals poacher Nkethia.

    Arteta may not have had him signed for Arsenal. Just as he didn’t have Saka signed for Arsenal by the Arsenal Board. But the duo are Arsenal Hale End products. Who Arteta wants them to stay at the club.

  27. Arsenal supporters go missing again. Where is the support. Leeds losi g but their supporters cheering them on

  28. I mentioned mentality before ko and this is what deserted them after going up 2-0 Not enough grit. Plenty of opportunities but the finishing has not been good enough since.

    Even though Leeds were woeful and probably should have been down to 9 men, they are fighting for their premier league lives. Any chance to get back into the game and they had to take it. It then gives them the impetus and we then become more anxious and liable to cock it up.

    Unless Everton have pulled themselves out of the relegation zone by the last game, it will be a very tough game indeed

    1. Yes. Sell the man off, 3 years of nothing. Let’s agree we were ripped off and move on.

  29. Subbing Saka was very bad decision… Pépé can’t even keep ball for merely 10 seconds

  30. Good game and glad Nketiah got his brace. If he decides to leave, it will be with his heads held high and with lots of clubs interested in his signature.

    The wasted opportunity to shoot at goal when Leeds keeper was out sums up how ineffective Pepe was when he came on. He has only himself to blame next time he is back on the bench.

    The NLD and Top 4 battle is now delicately set up on a scale and could tip in anyone’s favour depending on how the NLD goes. Win and we have 2 games to spare, Draw and we need to win only one more game, Lose and the 2 final games becomes like finals.

    1. How Dendrite? So, he is ineffective based on that?

      Was he also ineffective when he scored the vital equaliser against Wolves this season at the emirates?

    2. @Dendrite
      He was caught while switching to his shooting foot. He was the one made the block to set the ball on its way…

  31. As things stand, we could be celebrating St Totteringham’s Day on Thursday. Realistically though, Conte has transformed Spurs into a well drilled outfit, as evidenced by their refusal to roll over for Liverpool last time round. Our makeshift defence is aittle suspect at times but somehow I think we are going to take Spurs to the cleaners

    1. Yes Welbeck. The stakes are high. Spurs would be very aggressive. Gabriel and Xhaka have to keep their emotions in check. We must avoid a red card. That game is going to be war.

      Ralmsdale has to improve on his ball distribution.

      Tomiyasu is not yet up with pace. he has to play right back. Lookign forward to Tomiyasu vs Son.

      Cedric should play left back.

      ESR should start ahead of Martinelli. Elneny and Xhaka have a great battle in the midfield.
      2:1 win to the Arsenal.

  32. Arsenal should extend the contract of Nketiah and Elneny.

    Also, we sshould get a tall and strong full back in the summer. Someone who can play as a RB and LB.

    Nuno is only effective playing with a back3.

    Good job guys.

    3 vital points

    1. @Skills1000, Nketiah should be the third choice striker at best, if he chooses to stay. That’s if we buy two strikers, we’ll probably get one. I’m happy for Elneny to stay as he has always been consistent but under utilised.

  33. thats a game to wipe away from my memory 😂. job done though and onto Spurs. We should know by now Arsenal like to do everything the hard way. Getting 3 points and ending this on Thursday just sounds too tidy.

  34. @Skills1000 Tell me what Pepe did admirably well when he came on. Mind you, he had 22 mins. No clear-cut chance created, and I can’t remember any successful dribble he completed. He was either playing with his back to goal most times as the opponents show onto his weaker foot, so he couldn’t turn quickly enough to attack Leeds goals.

    Finally, when he tried cutting onto his stronger side to shoot at the gaping goal, he missed the chance as the defender anticipated his move. This is why Saka will continue to start over him. Pepe is too predictable and not suited to the way Arsenal wants to play.

    We were mugged for paying $72M. Hopefully, Reiss comes back as backup for him if we are able to sell him off for a decent fee.

    1. Hi Dendrite.

      I have been consistent on Pepe on this site.

      We have to support our players. Stop judging him because of the 72m pounds we paid for him.

      You cant judge him based on 22 mins. How many minutes has he played all season?

      Saka also took a lot of time before he showed his quality.

      I remembered during Elmery era, some times, Saka was erratic with his passing. W gave him the time to show his quality.

      Saka is quality. Pepe is quality. It is a manager’s job to utilise his players.

      There was a reason the club paid 72m pounds on him.

      Griezemann did not live up to the hype at Barcelona. In fact, he isnt doing much at athletico madrid presently, that still does not mean he is shit.

      Hazard is a flop at Real Madrid also.

      Pepe frustates a times, But do you remember his goals and assists towards the end of last season? His 2 goals against Crystal palace, The wonder goal against Wolves last season. Scoring 2 free kicks in an europa league match.

      His goal against Man united and so on.

      Arteta has a playing style. He is not flexible with his formation. That, i understand. Cos all that matters is getting 3 points every week. He prefers Saka even if he runs him down till he gets a major injury.

      I will always be consistent on this. Arsenal will be making a mistake by selling Pepe.

  35. Thursday will be a tough one.

    Son and Harry Kane will be charged up for this game. im seeing a draw or an Arsenal win

    An Arsenal win would be a good idea. That would mean celebrating St toterringham’s day earlier.

    we can also bid for Son in the summer.

    1. @Skills1000
      It’s not just Kane and Son we have to worry about. Conte is a far better tactician and man manager than Arteta…

      1. Yes NY.

        Conte is really good at stuff like this. His mind games also.
        The emotions, tension etc. lol

      2. Based upon his league position and the fact Spurs have ridden their luck insanely to still be in tough at his point. Go support spurs and stop clogging up this site with your bile.

  36. Awesome weekend although I was very nervous watching a spurs team play well yesterday, conte has got them fighting.
    But it’s superb to jnow that we can go into the NLD knowing that we can scrap for a win without it being a must win game, which it is now for spurs.
    Could this finally be the season we’re back above them and all with a relatively thin squad.
    Get CL secured and invest well in the summer window and things will be looking very bright for us.

    Ps shout out to Nketiah ego has surprised me with what he’s brought to us since coming in and also Elneny who apart from being mister reliable with a great work ethic also seems to be a thoroughly nice chap 🙂
    Can’t wait to stick the vinyl arsenal crest I bought on my neighbours white car once were confirmed as 4th, he’s a very defensive spurs fan who’s a proper arsenal hater.
    Last year I got hold of an old second hand empty cabinet labelled it spurs trophy cabinet and left it in his garden by the door with a bow on it! 🙂

  37. IncrEDDIEble performance but i just can’t hide my score two-concede one fraustration cos i expect this to be a complete bashing,barely matters anyway we’ve got 3points in the bag.spuds up next.

  38. @dendrite
    So frustrating re pepe I used to watch him in ligue 1 and he was a menace I was excited wheni heard we’d bought him.
    But he seems to weak and not versatile to adapt well to the PL way of playing and it’s fast pace.
    And to think we bought Pepe over Zaha:-(

  39. @Kieron It’s really sad to say the least. I also had high hopes for him when he was signed but it’s unfortunate it just didn’t work out.

    Glad the club has improved their scouting network which is now more data-driven. Gone are the days of signing players simply based on the player enjoying only a productive season or because of some financial kick backs agents are going to get.

    We just need to move him on. Imagine if we had drawn the game late on. I could imagine the specific instruction the coaches told him when he came on but he is too limited, predictable and poor in decision making to be effective all game and be consistently decisive, like Saka does and which we have all grown accustomed to.

    Nketiah’s success shows why we need to give more chance to our academy players. Those boys would hardly disappoint and already know how to play the Arsenal way.

  40. ESPN in their live text commentaries running of the match have misled me to believe 2 Leeds players were Red Carded to leave them 2 men short to Arsenal 11 man in the match. But later amended that their particular misleading vommentaries.

    I have suspected this match could be a hard fought match to win for Arsenal. This is because Leeds are relegation battlers fighting to avoid the drop. But the Gunners have fought hard in the match to overpower them. And have overpowered them by collecting all the 3 points at stake in the match. Which consequently increased Leeds relegation worries.

    Congratulations to Arsenal.

  41. Yes Samuel,
    Congratulations to the team

    I must say that I thought Leeds would go down to 9 men.

  42. @Skills 1000

    Saying a player failed to grab the rare opportunity to show what he’s got does not mean I don’t support the player. I am from West Africa (Nigeria) and Ivory Coast is a country in the same region as Nigeria. Infact if I want a player to succeed at Arsenal, it will definitely be player of African descent. So, you shouldn’t accuse me of not supporting an African player.

    I don’t have favorite players but I have a favorite club I support, which is Arsenal FC, with players of Nigerian descent haven represented the club in the past – Kanu Nwnankwo, Alex Iwobi, Emmanuel Adebayor comes to mind, and of course Bukayo Saka – the player keeping Pepe out of the team.

    Comparing Saka’s performance under Emery does not add much to the conversation. Saka was barely 18 at that time and having erratic games is something you would expect from a teenager just learning his trade. Saka got the opportunity and he grabbed it. Same cannot be said of Pepe or Iwobi who has been sold off. That is difference between the three players.

    Regarding Hazard you mentioned, he is rotting on the bench in Madrid for the same reason as Pepe. There is a younger and hungrier player in Vini Junior willing to learn under the manager. Griezmann might be having an average season by his standard but he has proven over time he is world-class and has trophies, including the World Cup to show for it, even finishing as the top scorer for France in the 2018 World Cup at Russia.

    If you expect the manager to adjust his tactics at the expense of the team and Bukayo Saka’s progress, then I am afraid you support a player ahead of the team.

    There is nothing wrong in selling him as he has just 2 years on his current contract. Having no European competition also didn’t help his cause, which is understandable. It’s either he puts his head down and play every minute like his life depends on it or he will be shown the exit door. The latter seems likely as he has had enough time to prove he can consistently deliver. It’s time to give the chance to another player.

    Don’t forget he is on a monstrous $172K p/w wages and can’t be warming the bench receiving such money. The club needs to free up his place and wage. He is now a squad player and should not be earning such amount as a squad player, at least at Arsenal based on the club’s wage structure.

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