Premier League Quick Preview: Arsenal Vs Leeds United
The weekend opens at lunchtime on Saturday with the champions at home to the side nobody has beaten yet.
Arsenal are second on 12 points, but arrive off the back of their first defeat of the season, a 3-0 beating at Brighton that was as heavy as it sounds.
Leeds are fifth and unbeaten - two wins and three draws - on their best start to a top-flight season in a quarter of a century.
Despite their defeat before the international break, Arsenal are favourites on betting apps, after beating United twice last season by an aggregate 9-0 score.
Borrowed Clean Sheets
This has the shape of a tight one. Both teams have scored in only one of Arsenal’s five league games, and four of Leeds’ five have finished under 2.5 goals.
Arsenal have three clean sheets in five and have conceded just four goals all season - but three of those four arrived before half-time, and they have scored five of their own eight after it.
Leeds are the bigger puzzle. They have conceded only three goals from 6.45 expected goals against - a shade over three goals better than the underlying numbers say they deserve - and have shipped a single first-half goal all season.
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Quiet Game, Busy Goalkeeper
Arsenal have averaged 13.0 shots a game and allowed 10.6, never conceding more than 17 in a match.
Leeds have been out-shot 73-61 across their five and have faced at least seven shots in every game, though James Trafford has answered with three or more saves every week.
Leeds’ fixtures have been the busier of the two - 26.8 shots between the sides per game against 23.6 in Arsenal’s, the lowest figure of any side in these five fixtures.
Hot Streaks & Stats:
- Arsenal draw more fouls than anyone in the division at 15.4 a game, and their opponents have collected 17 cards to Arsenal’s seven - both league-leading figures.
- Arsenal are unbeaten in 16 successive matches against Leeds in all competitions, stretching back to May 2003.
- Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have faced Leeds nine times and won eight, drawing the other.
- Leeds have never won at the Emirates - eight visits, one draw and seven defeats, failing to score in five of them.
- Leeds are unbeaten in their opening five games of a top-flight season for the first time since 2001/02.
- Leeds have conceded just three goals from 6.45 expected goals against, the biggest over-performance in either squad.
Early Season Team Streaks
- Arsenal 1+ cards received - 5 games
- Arsenal’s opponents 1+ cards - 5 games
- Arsenal 13+ fouls won - 5 games
- Arsenal 17 or fewer shots allowed - 5 games
- Arsenal’s games 11 or fewer total corners - 5 games
- Leeds’ opponents 2+ cards - 5 games
- Leeds 12+ fouls won - 5 games
- Leeds 10+ shots registered - 5 games
- Leeds 3+ goalkeeper saves - 5 games
- Leeds’ games 13 or fewer total corners - 5 games
Early Season Player Streaks
- Bukayo Saka (ARS) 1+ shot on target - 5 games
- Kai Havertz (ARS) 1+ shot on target - 5 games
- Riccardo Calafiori (ARS) 1+ shot - 5 games
- Bukayo Saka (ARS) 1+ foul won - 5 games
- Kai Havertz (ARS) 1+ foul won - 5 games
- Myles Lewis-Skelly (ARS) 1+ foul won - 5 games
- Bukayo Saka (ARS) 1+ tackle - 5 games
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin (LEE) 1+ shot - 5 games
- Anton Stach 1+ shot (LEE) - 5 games
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin (LEE) 1+ foul conceded - 5 games
- Jayden Bogle (LEE) 1+ foul conceded - 5 games
- Anton Stach (LEE) 1+ tackle - 5 games
- Ethan Ampadu (LEE) 1+ tackle - 5 games
- James Justin (LEE) 1+ tackle - 5 games
Latest Team News
It wasn't a kind international break for Arsenal with Kai Havertz, Ezri Konsa and Christos Tzolis all bringing concerns to Mikel Arteta. The better news is that Declan Rice’s withdrawal from England was precautionary rather than an injury, and Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie have all come through and are available.
Leeds have lost Jean-Matteo Bahoya to an ankle problem with France Under-21s, while Joe Rodon misses out with a hamstring injury that may be a longer absence than first thought, and Harry Wilson faces a late fitness test.
Referee: Paul Tierney.
