Arsenal return to Premier League action against Leeds United this weekend with an opportunity to reclaim top spot, while the visitors arrive in north London carrying several injury concerns.
Arsenal return to Premier League action this weekend against Leeds United, with the visitors arriving at the Emirates carrying several injury concerns after the extended international break.
Arsenal will be looking to reclaim top spot from Manchester City, who travel to Liverpool for their game at Anfield on Sunday, but Leeds have their own problems to manage before Saturday’s meeting in north London.
Loan signing Jean-Mattéo Bahoya will need to be assessed after withdrawing from the France Under-21 squad with an ankle injury.
The 21-year-old forward, who joined Leeds at the end of the summer transfer window, picked up the problem during the first half of France Under-21s’ 3-2 victory over Luxembourg Under-21s on Saturday.
Bahoya initially attempted to continue but was eventually replaced by Mathys Tel of Tottenham Hotspur.
Should he fail to recover, it is unlikely he will be missed having only played one minute for Leeds this season so far, however Leeds will be without more influential players.
Leeds will also be without Mateo Joseph, who is expected to remain sidelined for the rest of the year while recovering from an ACL injury.
Centreback Joe Rodon is also unavailable because of a hamstring injury, while Harry Wilson is expected to be ruled out with a quad problem.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke delivered a bleak update on Rodon on 3 September.
“Yes, bad news! Joe has a hamstring injury,” Farke told reporters.
“He will be out for, at the moment, an assessment of eight to 10 weeks, so he will definitely not play before the next international break. Also, probably not the first games after the international break. Of course, a big blow for us because he is a key player for us.”
Regarding Wilson, Farke said on 18 September ahead of their game against Crystal Palace, “Sadly, Harry Wilson is out for this game. Quad injury. He reported some problems after last game and then also during this training week; he will probably also miss the Welsh games. So definitely not good news for him and also not for the Welsh team.”
Regardless of who is available, recent history in this fixture strongly favours Arsenal.
In the past nine Premier League meetings between the clubs, Arsenal have won eight and drawn one, scoring 24 goals while conceding only five.
With City facing a hostile trip to Anfield, Arsenal have an opportunity to make a statement in light of the recent City cheating verdict, but Leeds arrive in fifth place and, unlike the Gunners, are yet to lose a game this season.
Find out here who will referee Arsenal vs Leeds United on Saturday.
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