The Premier League will finally return to our lives this weekend as international football completes its 2020 schedule on Wednesday evening.
Remarkably, tonight's England match against Iceland will be the Three Lions' eighth match of the season, which equals the number of Premier League matches Leeds United have played this term.
Whites fans will no doubt be glad to see the back of the international break having spent the past week-and-a-half licking their wounds after Crystal Palace handed Marcelo Bielsa's side a second straight 4-1 defeat last time out.
Bielsa and company will want to ensure Leeds bounce straight back, but they face a tough assignment with Arsenal the Sunday afternoon visitors to Elland Road.
The Gunners have endured a stop-start campaign so far and have lost three of their last four matches, including a 3-0 home defeat to Aston Villa last time out.
To get the inside line on Leeds' upcoming opponents we spoke to Chris Wheatley, chief Arsenal reporter at our sister site football.london for his take on this weekend's clash.
What's the general mood right now at the Emirates?
There was a feeling of optimism going into Aston Villa game following the win against Manchester United at Old Trafford. However, that defeat at home to Villa prompted more focus on Mikel Arteta and the tactics he's implemented at the club so far. With four defeats in their opening eight games, it's important to take some perspective on how the team have improved under Arteta. It's clear that they are still a team in transition and I'd say there is a general understanding that it will take time for the process to click into place.
How is the club's injury situation right now? How much of a loss will Elneny be?
Elneny showed how important he can be against United and it's disappointing to see him miss out against Leeds whose free-flowing style suits his game. He broke down play superbly at Old Trafford and is a great distributor, but Arsenal are able to replace him with Granit Xhaka and Joe Willock in midfield. They also have Ainsley Maitland-Niles who is able to play there if required. Thomas Partey is expected to be passed fit for the match, but if he doesn't make it there are plenty of alternate options for the Gunners. Gabriel Martinelli and Pablo Mari are the only other long-term injuries.
How can Leeds get at Arsenal? Where are their weaknesses?
I think the biggest weakness in the past was Arsenal's defence but under Arteta there have been vast improvements in that area. There is a collective discipline and commitment that he expects from his players and he's helped solidify the defence by playing Kieran Tierney as a left centre back in recent games. The other weakness has been a reluctance to take risks in the final third with players like Willian and Dani Ceballos looking static and restricted in their movement. If this continues against Leeds then I would expect Marcelo Bielsa's side to take full advantage, especially on the counter attack as we saw in Arsenal's recent defeat to Leicester City.
Is the current Arsenal side a better one than Leeds faced in the FA Cup in January?
Arteta is still trying to refine his system and find the perfect combinations in midfield and attack. Five players who featured in that game in January won't be playing on Sunday (Emi Martinez, Mesut Ozil, Matteo Guendouzi, Sokratis and Sead Kolasinac) have either left the club or no longer feature in the team. I'd expect a more disciplined Arsenal side to feature at Elland Road but it's probably a good time to face them after the recent Villa defeat and a few injuries in midfield.
What have you made of Leeds' start to the season and how much are you looking forward to this match?
I've been impressed with how Leeds have fared against the 'top six' sides this season. They didn't look out of place against Liverpool and Manchester City. I like how Bielsa hasn't wavered with his footballing philosophy and the direct style will undoubtedly pose Arteta's side problems on Sunday. I take a particular interest in Luke Ayling as he is someone who grew up in Arsenal's academy system without ever playing a first team game. There were high hopes for him but it's great to see how he's still established himself at an elite level. There is still a romanticism about facing Leeds and it's an away trip that I know many of the fans would absolutely love to attend. Hopefully in 2021 we will get to see the match in a stadium full of supporters.
Finally, what is your score prediction?
It's going to be a fascinating tactical battle between two managers who are sticklers for detail. Too difficult to call but I'll go for an enthralling, end-to-end 1-1 draw.
