Arsenal welcome newly-promoted Leeds United to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening for their first home fixture of the new Premier League campaign.
Both sides head into the contest on the back of narrow 1-0 victories. The Gunners stunned Manchester United at Old Trafford with a clinical counter-punch, while Leeds edged Everton at Elland Road thanks to a decisive penalty.
Riccardo Calafiori proved the difference-maker against United, pouncing on a handling error from second-choice goalkeeper Altay Bayindir to seal Arsenal’s win and extend their unbeaten record against the Red Devils.
That result also stretched Arsenal’s remarkable run against the Premier League’s traditional ‘Big Six’ to 22 matches without defeat.
This weekend presents another chance for Mikel Arteta’s men to make history. Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 42 home league games against newly-promoted clubs, one shy of Chelsea’s all-time best mark of 43, set between 2001 and 2015.
Leeds, meanwhile, earned their victory through Lukas Nmecha’s coolly converted penalty, awarded after James Tarkowski handled a goal-bound effort inside the area.
Leeds’ Capital Struggles
Daniel Farke’s side will be chasing their first back-to-back wins at the start of a top-flight season since 2002. However, history is not on their side when it comes to London visits; Leeds have lost their last seven Premier League matches in the capital.
Arsenal’s Grip on the Rivalry
The Whites will also be looking to overturn years of frustration against the North Londoners.
Arsenal are currently on a six-game winning streak against Leeds in all competitions and remain unbeaten in 14 straight encounters, with the visitors’ last triumph in this fixture dating back to 2003 at Highbury.
Injury Updates
Arsenal
On Friday, Mikel Arteta provided an update on the fitness of Kai Havertz, Christian Norgaard, Jurrien Timber, Ben White, and Gabriel Jesus.
According to Arteta, Havertz is unavailable for the clash with Leeds, and the medical team is still trying to determine the full extent of his issue.
“I prefer not to talk about the specifics, but he’s not fit, as I said, and we need to explore that issue a little bit further and decide what we’re going to do.
“The worst scenario is that he cannot play tomorrow, I would love to have him fresh and available, bringing what he brings to the team but unfortunately, that is not going to be possible.
“Now, he’s got a setback, let’s see how bad it is, but I’m sure he’s going to deal with it in the best possible way and, as I said, he’s a joy of a kid and hopefully we’re going to have him soon.”
Arteta added that Norgaard is also unavailable, with the ex-Brentford captain expected to be sidelined for about another week. White will undergo late assessments to determine his involvement, while Timber’s return is being carefully managed.
On Gabriel Jesus, the manager confirmed the striker is progressing well in his recovery: “he is doing super well and looks in a really good place.” There are no injury concerns for Viktor Gyokeres.
Leeds United
For the visitors, Daniel Farke will be without Ethan Ampadu, who picked up an MCL injury in the win over Everton and is ruled out until after the international break.
Ilia Gruev is expected to slot into the midfield anchor role in his absence, while Jaka Bijol returns from suspension. Sebastiaan Bornauw, who overcame a calf problem, was back on the bench last weekend and should be available again.
