Saturday 31st January 3:00pm | Elland Road
Arsenal will face a very different Leeds United side to the one they dismantled 5–0 at the Emirates back in August when they arrive at Elland Road this weekend. The personnel may be similar, but the Leeds mindset is not. One defeat in eleven in all competitions tells its own story, this is a side that has dug in, ridden pressure, and found a way to compete again. History is still firmly against them, Leeds haven’t beaten Arsenal at home since November 2000 and have conceded 20 goals across the last six meetings, but the gap between the sides feels narrower than it did earlier in the season.
That belief is helped by Arsenal’s own wobble. Despite sitting top of the table, Mikel Arteta’s side arrive winless in their last three Premier League matches. They remain elite (especially in Europe) but they are no longer steamrolling teams week after week. Leeds know exactly what they’re facing, though. Farke described it as “one of the toughest tasks you can have”, praising Arteta for developing Arsenal into “one of the most successful sides in Europe” and pointing to their perfect Champions League campaign. Still, he was clear: Leeds believe they are capable of getting points.
Team news was a familiar mix of caution and optimism. Jaka Bijol will miss the Arsenal game as he continues his rehab, with only a small chance of returning for Nottingham Forest. Lukas Nmecha is also ruled out after reporting a hamstring issue during the warm-up at Everton, though Farke expects him to be back for Forest too. There is faint hope around Gabriel Gudmundsson, who has progressed “much better than expected”, but with no team training yet, Saturday may come too soon. Structurally, little is expected to change: Joe Rodon remains central in the back three, Sebastiaan Bornauw operates to his right, and James Justin is likely to continue at left wing-back after scoring last time out.
Arsenal, by contrast, are close to full strength. William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are expected to be fit despite minor issues, while Declan Rice and Mikel Merino return from suspension. Kai Havertz has forced his way back into contention after an impressive midweek cameo, and while rotation is expected to end, the quality coming back into Arteta’s XI underlines the scale of the task Leeds face.
Off the pitch, Farke struck a calm but firm tone on transfers. Injuries, he insisted, do not force Leeds into panic. “We can allow ourselves to be picky,” he said, stressing the importance of not overpaying or gambling recklessly in January. Leeds want players who genuinely improve them, and who are “fully desperate and committed” to the club. There are no distractions either: no players have asked to leave, and Farke made clear he has no desire to weaken the group.
He also took time to underline the importance of the academy, praising the work being done behind the scenes and name-checking Sam Chambers and Alfie Cresswell for their recent involvement in training. Leeds, he reiterated, will not block pathways, development is earned, not gifted, but the message is clear: this squad is being built with both the present and future in mind.
