Arsenal vs. Leeds United match thread: first of ten finals

Arsenal return to Premier League action today, welcoming Leeds United to the Emirates. The Gunners have a simple task ahead of them: 10 matches, 9 wins guarantees a title. That’s it. Mikel Arteta’s side control their own fate. It’s theirs to claim or fritter away. Three points at home against one of the relegation threatened clubs is a must.

Leeds have been better (?) since handing Jesse Marsch his walking papers and hiring Javi Gracia. They’ve won two, drawn one, and lost one of their last four Premier League matches. You would have expected their results to improve, however. They had a tough slate of matches and were under-performing their underlying numbers. Leeds’ energy and running can cause problems for any opponent. You’ll recall the reverse fixture early in the season — Leeds were one of the only teams to outplay Arsenal over 90 minutes. The Gunners got the three points but did so against the run of play.

Arsenal will be without the services of William Saliba. Scans revealed the back problem that forced him off against Crystal Palace was worse than initially thought. Mikel Arteta is hopeful that the centerback will return this season. Reading between the lines, it seems as if the injury might be something that can be managed to get Saliba to the summer but that it will require the off-season to fix / heal fully.

Eddie Nketiah is still a ways away from returning, fortunately Gabriel Jesus is close to 100% match fit, per Mikel Arteta. Thomas Partey trained this week and should be good to go after feeling a slight something on international duty that kept him out of Ghana’s second match of the break. Mohamed Elneny and Takehiro Tomiyasu are out for the season.

Leeds will be missing midfield engine Tyler Adams, who will be out for a while after having surgery to repair a hamstring problem. They will also be without attacker Wilfried Gnoto and centerback Max Wober.

For more on lineups and match predictions, check out Nathan’s post.

Arsenal - Ramsdale, White, Holding, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Xhaka, Ødegaard, Trossard, Martinelli, Jesus

Leeds United - Meslier, Kristensen, Ayling, Firpo, Struijk, Koch, Roca, Summerville, Aaronson, Sinisterra, Harrison

WHAT: Arsenal vs Leeds United
WHEN: Saturday, April 1st, 7:00 am PT | 10:00 am ET | 3:00 pm BT
WHERE: The Emirates Stadium, London
HOW TO WATCH: Broadcast live on The USA Network. Streaming on NBCSports.com

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