Arsenal vs Leeds United Match Preview: Team News, How to Watch & Prediction

Arsenal have had a long time to sit with what happened at Brighton.

By the time Leeds United arrive at the Emirates on Saturday lunchtime, three weeks will have passed since Mikel Arteta's side were beaten 3-0 at the Amex. It was their first defeat of the season after four straight Premier League wins, including wins over Coventry City, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Sunderland.

Leeds also went into the international break in strong form. Daniel Farke's side are unbeaten after five games and sit fifth, only three points behind second-placed Arsenal. They have conceded three league goals, fewer than any other side heading into the weekend.

That alone makes this a different fixture from the one Arsenal won 5-0 at the Emirates last season.

Viktor Gyokeres scored twice that afternoon and added another when Arsenal won 4-0 at Elland Road in January. The Gunners scored nine without reply against Leeds across the two league meetings last season, but Farke brings them back to North London with a settled defensive record and considerably more momentum than they had for much of last season.

The international break has not been particularly kind to Arteta's squad.

Christos Tzolis is expected to miss the game after suffering a hamstring injury while playing for Greece. The winger lasted only 18 minutes against the Netherlands, Greece’s third fixture of the break, before returning to Arsenal for assessment, with early reports suggesting he could miss around three weeks.

Kai Havertz is another doubt. He left the Germany camp after sustaining a muscle strain against the Netherlands and returned to London for further tests, leaving his availability against Leeds unclear. Ezri Konsa also came back to Arsenal early after his latest involvement with England and will need to be assessed before Saturday.

There should be less concern over Declan Rice. His withdrawal from England duty was understood to be related to managing his workload rather than a fresh injury, and he is expected to be available.

Martin Odegaard also appears to have come through his own scare. The Gunners captain picked up an ankle knock while playing for Norway but subsequently completed 90 minutes against Wales.

William Saliba may remain out with his back injury, although Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera have both been working towards returns. Piero Hincapie has also been dealing with a muscular problem, leaving Arteta with several decisions to make across his defence before naming the team.

Tzolis' absence could be particularly significant because he had started each of Arsenal's first five Premier League games. With both Martinelli and Trossard sold in the summer, Arteta doesn't have as many alternatives at wide positions. His injury creates another change to consider after a break in which several squad members have either missed international games or returned early.

Leeds went into the international break having used the same starting side against Newcastle and Crystal Palace.

Joe Rodon was still unavailable before the break after suffering an injury against Brentford, while Harry Wilson missed the Palace game with a quad problem. Ilia Gruev had recovered sufficiently to return to the bench by then.

Farke now has another fitness issue to assess.

Jean-Matteo Bahoya injured his ankle while playing for France Under-21s against Luxembourg and subsequently withdrew from the squad. Further tests were required, with no return date confirmed before he headed back to Leeds.

Leeds' start has given Farke little reason to make wholesale changes elsewhere. They won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest on the opening weekend, drew with Brentford and Brighton, beat Newcastle and then kept a clean sheet against Palace.

Arsenal had things largely their way against Leeds last season, winning both league meetings 9-0 on aggregate. Early signs this season suggest Saturday may be less straightforward.

Leeds have allowed only three goals and conceded none in their final match before the break. Farke also kept the same XI after the Newcastle win, rather than changing shape for Palace, and the side has shown a degree of stability after spending much of last season fighting lower down the table.

Arsenal have their own reason for wanting the game to settle quickly.

The defeat at Brighton came after four league wins and remains the only occasion they have dropped points this season. Three weeks without a club game makes it difficult to know how much relevance that afternoon will still have when Saturday begins, particularly with so many players having been away on international duty.

Arteta's team will at least return to the Emirates, where they have already beaten Coventry and Chelsea this season and put five past Leeds little more than a year ago.

Arsenal host Leeds at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, October 10, with kick-off at 12:30pm BST.

The fixture was moved from its original 3pm slot after being selected for live television coverage.

The match will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports, with Saturday's early kick-off selected as part of the Premier League's October broadcast schedule.

In the United States, the game is listed for USA Network and Universo.

Leeds have done enough over their first five games to suggest another 5-0 is highly unlikely, particularly with the Gunners carrying several fitness questions into the weekend.

Their defensive record should make Arsenal work for it, but Arteta's side have won both league games at the Emirates and will look for an immediate response to Brighton.

Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Leeds United