Arsenal vs Leeds: Preview, Team News as Gyokeres Targets First Goal, Calvert-Lewin Faces Fitness Test

Arsenal will host Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium in the second round of the Premier League 2025/2026 season on August 23rd at 19:30 East African Time.

Both teams enter this fixture with momentum after winning their opening matches, setting the stage for an intriguing battle in North London.

Australian referee Jarred Gillett will oversee proceedings as these two ambitious sides look to maintain their perfect starts to the new campaign.

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Arsenal and Leeds United find themselves in nearly identical positions after the opening weekend, with both teams sitting on three points following 1-0 victories.

The Gunners currently occupy 7th place while Leeds sit just behind in 8th, with only goal difference separating the sides at this early stage of the season.

A win for either team could potentially propel them into the top four, depending on other results, while establishing early momentum in what promises to be a fiercely competitive Premier League campaign.

Both clubs will be eager to build on their positive starts before the fixture list potentially becomes more challenging.

Both Arsenal and Leeds United have made perfect starts to their Premier League campaigns.

The Gunners secured a valuable away victory against Manchester United (0:1) on August 17th, demonstrating their defensive resilience while capitalizing on their opportunities. This followed mixed pre-season results where they suffered a narrow defeat to Tottenham Hotspur (0:1) on July 31st but overcame Newcastle United in a thrilling encounter (3:2) on July 27th.

Leeds, meanwhile, began their Premier League return with a hard-fought home win against Everton (1:0) on August 18th. The Yorkshire side showed impressive pre-season form, remaining unbeaten with draws against AC Milan (1:1) on August 9th, Villarreal (1:1) on August 2nd, and Manchester United (0:0) on July 19th, following their promotion-clinching victory against Plymouth (1:2) back in May.

Arsenal have dominated recent meetings with Leeds United, winning all five of their last encounters across competitions. Their most recent clash came at the Emirates Stadium on April 1, 2023, where the Gunners secured a comprehensive 4:1 victory with Gabriel Jesus netting twice (including a penalty), while Ben White and Granit Xhaka also found the target, with Rasmus Nissen scoring Leeds' consolation.

Prior to that, Arsenal edged a tight contest at Elland Road in October 2022 thanks to Bukayo Saka's 35th-minute strike (0:1).

The Gunners also prevailed 2:1 at the Emirates in May 2022 with Edward Nketiah scoring twice, and secured an emphatic 4:1 win at Elland Road in December 2021 where Martinelli bagged a brace. Their dominance extended to cup competitions too, with Arsenal eliminating Leeds 2:0 in the EFL Cup fourth round in October 2021.

Arsenal’s defensive core looked rock solid in the win over Manchester United, with Gabriel and William Saliba dominant at the back and David Raya steady between the posts. Arteta may look to rotate his full backs, giving Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly opportunities to step in for Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori and keep the options fresh early in the campaign.

In midfield, Zubimendi, Rice, and Ødegaard remain the first-choice trio and should control the tempo again. Out wide, Noni Madueke is pushing for a start on the left. Up front, Viktor Gyökeres will be eager to put last week’s disappointing debut behind him, and this fixture looks like a good chance for him to showcase his strength in the air and clinical finishing.

Arsenal will be without Christian Nørgaard, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus, with all three sidelined through injury.

Ben White is considered questionable due to an undisclosed issue.

Leeds under Daniel Farke will likely keep things tight at the back and look to spring forward quickly through the pace of Dan James and Wilfried Gnonto. The signings of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Noah Okafor give them extra firepower in attack, and if they maintain defensive discipline, they’ll feel confident about competing strongly this season.

Leeds will be missing Ethan Ampadu, who is unavailable with a knee problem.

Sebastiaan Bornauw and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are both doubtful, with the former dealing with a calf issue and the latter working toward full fitness.

Arsenal : Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli

Leeds United :Perri; Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Gudmundsson; Stach, Gruev, Tanaka; Gnonto, Nmecha, Harrison