Match Preview: Arsenal touted favourites to beat Leeds United despite issues
Arsenal will need to quickly look ahead to the weekend and their game against Leeds United if they are to get back on track and take the distraction away from the team.
The Gunners will have played West Ham United on Wednesday night in a game that many would have been wanting a result and a performance from the team, especially as it came after a dominant display against Southampton. That result was needed as the team had slipped up and looked poor (some would say embarrassing) against Everton in a game that they were perhaps lucky not to lose by a greater margin.
Nonetheless, that is the past and the game against Leeds United at the weekend might have come at the perfect time for Arsenal, with the price provided by Betway Sportsbook of 11/10 appearing to think the same. This has made the Londoners favourites to pick up all three points in Saturday’s evening Premier League slot.
Of course, there are a number of factors at play even before the Wednesday night encounter with West Ham at play that might suggest why the Gunners are deemed the most likely to obtain all three points.
Firstly, Leeds’ 0-7 defeat to Manchester City will have rocked the Whites on Tuesday night, as Marcelo Bielsa’s side were steamrolled by the team at the top of the Premier League table currently. The Yorkshire outfit will be hurting, though, and as they will want to seek blood, the Gunners will need to make sure that they are at their very best when they travel to Elland Road.
Another reason will have been done to the performance that Mikel Arteta’s side put in against Southampton last week, as they managed to do it without their former captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after he was left out of the entire squad for disciplinary reasons. He has since been stripped of the captaincy and was not included in the squad for the game against the Hammers, either.
This means Arsenal might have the perfect opportunity to put any of the external noise behind them, and it could come at a time when a boost is required but that could depend on what happens at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
What is not up for debate is that Arteta and Arsenal will need to start quickly when they do meet Leeds, otherwise the Whites could make it a rather uncomfortable game for the Gunners given the home crowd and the reaction that Bielsa will undoubtedly be demanding.
