Leeds United are back in action on Saturday evening, as they take on Arsenal in the Premier League. The match is live on Sky Sports and will kick-off under the lights, at 5:30pm.
With just two Premier League matches taking place on Saturday, with the other being Aston Villa vs Burnley, supporters are reminded of the current measures in place for those attending the match.
๐ท Lets help protect each other and stay as safe as possible pic.twitter.com/a7DzkBd6dx
โ Leeds United (@LUFC) December 17, 2021
Heading into the match, the Whites are unbeaten on home turf in their last five league outings. Wins against Watford and Crystal Palace were combined with draws against Leicester, Wolves and most recently, Brentford.
Stats-wise, Arsenal have an impressive record of their own. Saturdayโs visitors will arrive holding a record of being unbeaten at Elland Road in their last six, a run stretching back to 2000. The Gunners have also won 10 from their last 13 matches away at teams in Yorkshire.
Last season, the two teams played out a 0-0 draw in this fixture. An early red card in the second half to Nicholas Pepe saw the Whites dominate, but they couldnโt find the back of the net despite 25 shots on goal.
Two players who havenโt found it hard to hit the back of the net this season, are Raphinha for Leeds and Emile Smith-Rowe for the visitors. Both players have been key to their side picking up points and that may well be the case again on Saturday evening.
Assists wise, Smith-Rowe is helped by the form of his club and England teammate Bukayo Saka, who leads the way for Arsenalโs creative department and has seen a recent resurgence up the league table.
The Gunners were bottom of the table at the end of August are beginning the campaign with three losses in a row, but nine wins from 14 has seen them shoot back up and into possible top-four contention.
On the road though, Mikel Artetaโs side have lost their last three, with the previous away victory coming in October. A win in this encounter could see them further strengthen their current position of fourth in the table, whilst a win for Leeds would take them up one to 15th.
Manager/head coach:
Leeds: Marcelo Bielsa
Arsenal: Mikel Arteta
What Marcelo Bielsa said ahead of the match?
โTo be able to face the most difficult moments, you come out of them correcting things, taking on board things, not delegating responsibilities, not looking to blame others, theyโre all the things we try to do. Any game that was next was always a possibility to revert or comeback from the last game.โ
๐ Marcelo sits down with the press ahead of Saturday's clash with Arsenal https://t.co/9Q7lg0kAPP
โ Leeds United (@LUFC) December 16, 2021
League position
Leeds: 16th
Arsenal: 4th
Premier League form
Leeds: DWDLL
Arsenal: WLLWW
Top scorer
Leeds: Raphinha (7)
Arsenal: Emile Smith-Rowe (6)
Head to head
Leeds: 41
Draws: 33
Arsenal: 49
A memorable moment against Arsenalโฆ
๐ "๐๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ, ๐ข๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐ ๐จ๐๐ฅ!"#LUFC x #GoalOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/ZQobIbeRR4
โ Leeds United (@LUFC) December 17, 2021
Team news
Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed that no players will be back from their recent injuries, but Robin Koch is now available for selection after returning to training. Dan James and Jamie Shackleton both picked up knocks during the week, so theyโll now also be missing from the line-up and Junior Firpo is suspended.
For Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will not be involved for the foreseeable future. Other possible absentees for Mikel Artetaโs side are goalkeeper Bernd Leno and defender, Sead Kolaลกinac.
Officials
Referee - Andre Marriner
Assistant Referee 1 - Eddie Smart
Assistant Referee 2 - Scott Ledger
Fourth Official - John Brooks
Video Assistant Referee - Michael Oliver
The key battle
Raphinha vs Bukayo Saka
Take a look at some key stats between two players who are likely to be prominent in attack for either side, with goals, assists, pace and trickery all possible from either of them!
๐@LUFC face Arsenal in the @premierleague this Saturday!
โ Leeds United StatZone (@lufcsz) December 16, 2021
We've compared the stats of Raphinha & Bukayo Saka ahead of the game. #LUFC #MOT @tuffshop pic.twitter.com/FS2a9f5h0a
Latest odds
Leeds: 29/10
Draw: 11/4
Arsenal: 17/20
How to watch
The match has been selected for live broadcast on Sky Sports. Live commentary is available as always on LUTV, with up to date blog coverage on leedsunited.com
Supporter information
๐ To create a safe matchday, fans are reminded of the new protocols in place for #LUFC's game against Arsenal
โ Elland Road (@EllandRoad) December 17, 2021