Mikel Arteta to make nine Arsenal changes vs Leeds, £6m star keeps his place

Arsenal will be aiming to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they face Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.

The Gunners are winless in the last three league matches with two draws and one defeat, which has reduced their advantage at the top of the table.

The club are just four points ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa in the standings, but can temporarily extend the gap to seven with a victory at Leeds.

Man City and Villa are not in league action until Sunday.

Ahead of the game, manager Mikel Arteta is expected to make wholesale changes from the 3-2 win over Kairat Almaty in the Champions League in midweek.

We anticipate at least nine from Wednesday’s victory at the Emirates Stadium.

Goalkeeper change

David Raya was completely rested for the midweek European game. Kepa Arrizabalaga made his Champions League debut in goal for Arsenal, but could not keep a clean sheet.

Raya is set to return between the sticks for the north London giants. He is leading the Premier League Golden Glove race with 11 shutouts and will be eyeing another at Leeds.

Regular defence

Jurrien Timber and William Saliba were not involved on Wednesday due to minor niggles, but they are widely expected to return. Gabriel Magalhaes and Piero Hincapie are also likely to start.

Timber and Hincapie should line up at right and left back respectively, with Saliba partnering Gabriel in the heart of the defence. Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly are poised to drop to the bench.

Calafiori looked rusty on his injury comeback in midweek, conceding an early penalty. He had a few more nervous moments and may require more time in training before starting regularly at left-back again.

Midfield overhaul

Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice are guaranteed to return against Leeds. The former was an unused substitute in midweek, while the latter was suspended alongside Mikel Merino.

Christian Norgaard and Eberechi Eze will make way for the regular starting duo. Kai Havertz fluorished with a goal and an assist against Kairat before his planned half-time substitution.

Martin Odegaard replaced him at the interval. It is likely that the captain will keep his place as the attacking midfielder over the German, who started for the first time in 357 days.

Havertz’s workload has to be managed. With the Leeds game expected to be of higher intensity and physicality, Arteta could restrict the playmaker to a cameo role after the hour mark.

One change in attack

Noni Madueke was quite wasteful against Kairat with several overcooked passes. The Englishman was far from his usual best and should make way for Bukayo Saka on the right wing tomorrow.

The rest of the attack could stay unchanged. Viktor Gyokeres has four goal contributions in his last five appearances. His strong physical presence is required upfront against a three-man backline.

Leandro Trossard has been the regular starter in the league, but we prefer Gabriel Martinelli’s pace on the left wing. The £6 million signing has four goal involvements in his last four starts against Leeds.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

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