Arsenal vs Leeds: 4 pre-match discussions

Mikel Arteta labelled this weekend as a defining moment in the season. He’s not wrong. Arsenal play host to relegation threatened Leeds knowing victory will give them a huge boost heading into a potentially defining North London Derby.

Jesse Marsch may be leading a side sitting perilously close to the drop but he’s made undoubted improvements to Leeds since his arrival.

Losing three and winning three of his eight matches in charge, Leeds are a harder side to beat than previously under Marcelo Bielsa, only suffering heavy defeats at home to Manchester City last time out and at home to Aston Villa in his second game in charge. They used to be weekly occurrences.

Arsenal will also head into this game aware of the outcome at Anfield the night before. Tottenham take on Liverpool in a fixture that everyone’s fingers and toes are crossed will play out as expected. Please, Liverpool.

Arsenal vs Leeds: 4 pre-match discussions ahead of a huge Premier League clash as Arteta’s side chase a top four place

Spurs losing on the road opens up the potential for a five point gap in the table if Arsenal hold their end of the bargain on Sunday, which makes Thursday’s derby a potential top four clinching fixture for the Gunners.

It sure is getting nervy.

Even with a three game winning run behind them, performances haven’t been at their glittering best and in a division where anyone can beat anyone at any given time, nobody is counting their chickens just yet. There is plenty to discuss ahead of a significant weekend.

1. Dirty Leeds United Near History

All throughout the season supporters have had to watch Bukayo Saka get kicked to pieces with rotational fouling, the vast majority of which goes unpunished, and more could be on the cards (no pun intended) against Leeds.

The record number of yellow cards accumulated by one team in a Premier League season was Sunderland back in the 2014/15 campaign, when under Gus Poyet and then Dick Advocaat the Black Cats picked up no fewer than 94.

Leeds are on 94 now.

With four games left of their season it would be an almighty surprise if they avoided surpassing that figure, especially since their most carded player this season, Junior Firpo (10), will be coming face to face with Saka down that side.

A lot of the cards they’ve been brandished came during their man marking days where ‘professional fouls’ were essential when their system was exploited, but it remains the case that they’re either dirty, or just plain clumsy.

Get at em’, as they say.

Continued on next page…