🕟 Kick Off: 15:00 GMT

🏟️ Venue: Elland Road

📺 UK Broadcaster: N/A

🙎🏻‍♂️ Referee: Stuart Attwell

📹 VAR: Jarred Gillett

🔴 Arsenal Team News:

• Max Dowman: Ankle ligament injury; the 16-year-old remains the only definite absentee for the Gunners. He is progressing well with a return targeted for mid-February 2026.

⚽ Arsenal Form: 🟩🟥🟩🟧🟩

💮 Leeds Team News:

• Lukas Nmecha: Hamstring injury; sustained during the warm-up against Everton on Monday. Daniel Farke has ruled him out for the Arsenal match, hoping for a return against Nottingham Forest on February 6.
• Jaka Bijol: Thigh injury; continuing his rehabilitation. He is ruled out for this weekend, with a potential return targeted for early February.
• Daniel James: Thigh injury; has been out for over two months. While he is back in partial training, he is a major doubt (25% chance) and likely lacks match fitness for a start.
• Gabriel Gudmundsson: Groin/Hip injury; missed the Everton draw. He is currently being assessed and remains a doubt (50% chance) for the matchday squad.

⚽ Leeds Form: 🟧🟩🟩🟥🟧

⚔️ Head-to-Head:

• Arsenal 5-0 Leeds United (August 23, 2025, Premier League)
• Arsenal 4-1 Leeds United (April 1, 2023, Premier League)
• Leeds United 0-1 Arsenal (October 16, 2022, Premier League)
• Arsenal 2-1 Leeds United (May 8, 2022, Premier League)
• Leeds United 1-4 Arsenal (December 18, 2021, Premier League)

📖 Match Facts:

• Mikel Arteta has never lost a match against Leeds United as Arsenal manager, overseeing eight wins and one draw in nine encounters.
• Leeds have not beaten Arsenal at home in a competitive match since May 2003. Their last home win against Arsenal came nearly 23 years ago.
• The last time Arsenal failed to win 4 league games in a row was during April of the 22/23 season, in a run that effectively ended our title charge.

✍🏼 Pre-Match Ramblings

After a midweek match against Kairat Almaty saw Arsenal go perfect in the league stage of the new UCL format (the first team to do so), we return to the Premier League in a match that actually matters. In my view, we need to not only win this game, but win it convincingly. I can’t buy into this “I don’t care how we win, just win”, because we have been scraping victories in the league for a while now, and margins this fine just won’t do if we want to lift the trophy at the end of the season.

Bigger and bigger question marks have been appearing over the role of our captain Martin Odegaard in recent weeks, and the instant connection between a now fully fit Kai Havertz and Gyokeres against Kairat raised some eyebrows. Do we really look better with Odegaard? Maybe. Should we try something new in the league? Absolutely. If that means Odegaard gets relegated to the bench, I am absolutely fine with that.

The return of Kai Havertz is absolutely huge. I still think he is the best option we have at number 9, but if a slight system change to include both the German and Gyokeres allows our #14 to get firing, I am all for it. The fact is that at least one of our attackers needs to step up and carry us forward in terms of goals scored. None of our attackers have hit double figures in all competitions this season and that is starting to become a problem now that we are conceding more goals and can’t just win games 1-0 from set pieces.

This match affords us a potential turning point in our title charge. Drop points and the tide turns completely and entirely against us, not just in terms of league positioning, but attitude around the club. Win convincingly, and it just might light a fire up the arses of a group of players that deserves silverware this season, but currently doesn’t look assured to get any.