Overview
Leeds United have opened their journey back to the Premier League with a hard-fought victory over Everton. However, they could soon be brought back to earth when they have to visit Arsenal.
The challenge for coach Daniel Farke's team is huge. Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 42 Premier League home games against newly promoted sides (W37, D5).
The last time the "Gunners" fell at home to a rookie was nearly 15 years ago, when they lost 0-1 to Newcastle in November 2010. If they continue to maintain an unbeaten record, Arsenal will equal Chelsea's record of 43 consecutive matches (2001-2015).
Coach Mikel Arteta also has reason to be confident. Leeds is the opponent he has never lost to in his Arsenal coaching career, with a record of 7 wins and 1 draw after 8 encounters, including all 5 wins at the Emirates.
Arsenal will enter their first home match of the 2025-2026 season with great excitement. They won 1-0 at Old Trafford last weekend, thanks to Riccardo Calafiori's decisive header.
The Gunners' constant strength continues to be their weapons of choice. Since the start of the 2023-2024 season, Arsenal have scored 31 goals from corners, 11 more than any other team.
In the opening matches of this season, they also led the tournament in terms of expected goals (xG) from dead balls, with 1.02 xG.
However, the statistics also point to worrying points. Arsenal's expected goals (xG) from opening situations in round 1 is only 0.28, the third lowest in the league, only above Aston Villa and Everton.
The reason came from Viktor Gyokeres' unimpressive debut, when he failed to launch a single shot against M.U.However, Gyokeres has reason to be confident when facing Leeds.
Against newly promoted teams in the Primeira Liga, he has scored 9 goals and had 5 assists in just 12 matches for Sporting CP.The Emirates will also see him make his first official appearance, in the context of Kai Havertz suffering a knee injury and Christian Norgaard uncertain to return in time.In addition, Gabriel Jesus is still a long-term injury.
In terms of transfers, Arsenal have almost beaten Tottenham in the race for Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace. However, the deal is unlikely to be completed before this match, as Eze was still registered to play for Palace in the UEFA Conference League play-off against Fredrikstad.
Meanwhile, Leeds are aiming to repeat the achievement from the 2002-2003 season under Terry Venables, when they won both of their opening two Premier League games. After a 1-0 victory over Everton thanks to a late goal by Lukas Nmecha, Daniel Farke and his team hope to create a shock at the Emirates.
Lukas Nmecha has made history for Leeds as the second player to score from the penalty spot in his debut for the club, after Percy Whipp in 1922.
The German striker will now aim to join the special list of Alan Smith (1998), Patrick Bamford and Mateusz Klich (2020). These are the only players to have scored in both of his first two Premier League appearances for Leeds.
In terms of force, new signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Leeds cannot play in the opening match against Everton but will likely make his debut at the Emirates. Jaka Bijol is also back from suspension, while Ethan Ampadu is expected to recover from an ankle injury.
Leeds certainly need all these additions if they want to turn the tide in London. They have lost 23 of their last 30 away games in London (W4 D3).
They are also on a seven-match losing streak in the Premier League in London, since a thrilling 2-1 win over Brentford in the 2021-2022 final to stay in the league.
Head-to-head record
This is probably the time for Leeds fans to look at the harsh reality. Arsenal have been unbeaten in their last 14 encounters in all competitions against this opponent (won 12, drew 2), including a series of 6 consecutive wins.
away from home, Leeds also often play badly against the "Gunners". They have lost 10/12 of their most recent Premier League matches at Arsenal, won only 2, and especially did not keep a clean sheet in the last 14 trips.
The last time Leeds visited the Emirates also left a sad memory. That was a 1-4 defeat in April 2023, when Gabriel Jesus scored a double, in addition to goals from Ben White and Granit Xhaka.
The match between Arsenal and Leeds United takes place at 11:30 p.m. on August 23 (Vietnam time).
