Arsenal predicted XI vs Leeds: Team news as Paul Merson says Mikel Arteta “might as well sell” William Saliba
Arsenal’s bid to regain entry to the Champions League will see them host relegation-threatened Leeds United on Sunday at 2pm (UK time).
Mikel Arteta’s men are currently in the Premier League’s highly-coveted fourth position, but their current grip on that final Champions League place is anything but certain with Tottenham breathing down their necks. And they face a Leeds United side who have everything to play for. Jesse Marsch knows his side will drop into the bottom three if Everton win their game in hand, so points against Arsenal on Sunday are simply non-negotiable at this precarious point.
Arsenal vs Leeds betting tips from Squawka Bet
- Leeds to receive over 2 yellow cards @4/6 with Hollywoodbets
- Bukayo Saka Over 3 Shots @8/5 with William Hill
18+ only. Please gamble responsibly. For more information, visit begambleaware.org. All odds and offers in this article are valid at time of publication.
Arsenal team news vs Leeds: Ben White faces late fitness test
- Outs: Kieran Tierney, Thomas Partey
- Doubts: Ben White
Ben White missed the win over West Ham with a hamstring issue, though his replacement on the day, Rob Holding, deputised with distinction, scoring his first Premier League goal for the club to keep Arsenal’s top-four dreams alive. White faces a late fitness test for this game, but fans know they have a reliable replacement in Holding ready to do the business. Elsewhere, Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey remain out of action for the north London club.
If Arteta can view White’s uncertainty as a bit of a centre-back injury crisis, then that possibly could have been alleviated had William Saliba stuck around. The now-France international has flourished on loan at Marseille this season, provoking club legend Thierry Henry to accuse his former club of mishandling his young compatriot. Another ex-pro has now added weight to the conversation, with Paul Merson believing there must be a reason Arteta didn’t trust him in the summer.
Writing in his Daily Star column, Merson commented: “William Saliba is running out of time to prove himself at Arsenal and I think he could be sold this summer.
“There must be a reason he’s been loaned out three times by the club. Was he getting ripped in training? I don’t see why he’s still on loan otherwise. Arsenal paid a lot of money for him but I think if anyone offers them their money back they would take it right now. It’s almost three years he’s been there now and he can’t get a look in. Maybe Mikel Arteta has watched him train and decided he’s nowhere near ready.”
He continued: “How long can they keep waiting for Saliba? You hear that he’s doing well in France, but that league is nowhere near as competitive as the Premier League. If Arsenal don’t have confidence in him to perform over here, there’s no point bringing him back from Marseille just to loan him out again. They might as well sell.”
| Club | Chance | 888Sport | Sky Bet |
| Chelsea | 100% | N/A | N/A |
| Arsenal | 13.30% | 14/1 | 10/1 |
| Tottenham | 86.70% | 1/50 | 1/33 |
Probability % provided by StatsPerform |
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Predicted Arsenal XI vs Leeds:
- Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, Holding, Gabriel, Tavares; Elneny, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Nketiah. (4-2-3-1)
