Premier League: Arsenal at Leeds Preview (November 22)
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Both Arsenal and Leeds are in the bottom half of the Premier League table. Arsenal definitely doesn’t belong there, but this has been a really crazy season. The Gunners will surely get better, the question is when?
Can they beat Leeds? One would think so, but Marcelo Bielsa’s team is famous for being a giant-slayer. Leeds United has given a run for their money to a number of big Premier League teams, including the reigning champ Liverpool. They also drew 1:1 with Manchester City and won against in-form Aston Villa.
However, their two previous games were disappointments. Leeds lost both of them by 4:1. On the plus side, they’ve had two weeks to prepare for the Arsenal game due to the international break. Arsenal also had the break, but many of their players went on international duties, so they might feel a bit tired.
Battle of Managers
Marcelo Bielsa is famous as one of the most meticulous minds in soccer. The Argentine is very thorough when it comes to match preparation, which enables his team to exploit all the opponent’s weaknesses. As a result, the manager has achieved a lot of success with the clubs he’s managed, even when his players weren’t top-quality.
Leeds United is a perfect example of that. Even though their players can’t be thought of as elite, Marcelo Bielsa’s led them to winning the Championship and advancing to the Premier League.
For his hardcore managerial style, Bielsa is celebrated around the world, with many big-name managers citing him as their role model. One of those is Pep Guardiola, the current manager of Manchester City, whose former assistant manager is now in charge of Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta is the man we’re talking about. The Spanish manager has been a charge of Arsenal for less than a year, in which is his first job as a manager. Before being hired by the Gunners, he served as Pep Guardiola’s assistant for three seasons.
Fun Fact – During the 2019 season, while Leeds was playing in the Championship, Marcelo Bielsa and his team were spying on every team in the league. Before every game, they observed their opponents’ training sessions, using spying equipment, something that got him under the scrutiny of other managers in the league.
What to Expect from Leeds United?
Although it’s definitely possible for Bielsa to outsmart Arteta, the fact is that Arsenal players are way better than those playing for Leeds.
Still, Leeds players definitely know how to play against big opponents. In fact, so far this season, they did well every time they played against a team from the upper half of the table. Take a closer look at their results against in-form teams:
- Leeds at Liverpool (#3) 3:4
- Manchester City (#10) at Leeds 1:1
- Wolves (#9) at Leeds 1:0
- Leeds at Aston Villa (#6) 3:0
What’s got to worry them is that they’ve been conceding a lot of goals. In fact, Leeds and West Brom are the two teams with the highest number of goals allowed this season, both with 17 goals.
What to Expect from Arsenal?
Arsenal’s strongest weapon is their attack. However, they haven’t been scoring much lately, at least not in the Premier League.
In their previous four league games, the Gunners have scored only one goal. Aubameyang scored that goal from the penalty spot in the 1:0 win over Manchester City.
They need to get their attack into the fifth gear if they want to beat Leeds United. Scoring against them should not be a big problem, but attacking means leaving a lot of room at the back, which is something Bielsa’s boys can take advantage of.
Arsenal at Leeds Betting Prediction
Arsenal is the favorite, but this isn’t going to be an easy game for them. Leeds can be pretty dangerous from the counter-attack as Liverpool saw first-hand in the opening round of the Premier League.
Same as that game, this one too should be packed with goals on both ends. You shouldn’t be surprised if we witness Arsenal and Leeds scoring 2-3 goals each.
When it comes to soccer prop bets, maybe it would be smart to put the money on Aubameyang scoring. Last season, he was the second top-scorer in the Premier League, with 22 goals, one goal fewer than Jamie Vardy.
This season, he’s only scored two Premier League goals. That’s bound to change at some point and the Arsenal at Leeds game seems like a perfect opportunity for such a thing.
Our Arsenal at Leeds Betting Picks:
- Both Teams to Score
- Over 3.5 Goals
- Aubameyang to Score Anytime