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Football London
Football London
Sport
Louie Chandler

Three ways Arsenal could line-up against Leeds United as Mikel Arteta seeks third win in a row

Arsenal face Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday as they look to cement their place in the top-four.

An impressive 2-0 win against West Ham in midweek secured Mikel Arteta a huge three points and the Gunners appear to be gathering some momentum after losing back-to-back games.

The fact two wins have come since the drama surrounding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang surfaced is a testament to the team and confidence will remain high ahead of kick-off at Elland Road.

But with plenty of players impressing, a few tough decisions await for Arteta. With that in mind, football.london looks at three ways the Gunners could line-up today.

The in-forms

The 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' line-up (buildlineup.com)

You know what they say: "If it ain't conceding goals or dropping points, don't fix it."

Kieran Tierney has impressed since replacing Nuno Tavares in the side and will almost definitely continue alongside Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes and Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Gabriel Martinelli has impressed in recent weeks and could retain his spot on the left hand side with Bukayo Saka offering similar support from the right for Alexandre Lacazette and Martin Odegaard.

The attacking experiment

How the Gunners could line up if Mikel Arteta goes for all-out attack (buildlineup.com)

There has been a bit of clamour in recent weeks to see Martinelli deployed as a striker after his recent goalscoring escapades, but at the same time it seems harsh to drop Lacazette.

So a slightly wildcard decision from Arteta could be to switch to an attacking diamond set-up. Granit Xhaka could start at the base as the enforcer with Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe just ahead of him.

Saka would take up a slightly more central attacking-midfield position while Martinelli and Lacazette can terrorise a leaky Leeds defence.

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Trust in youth

How Arsenal could line up if Mikel Arteta puts his trust in youth in attacking areas (buildlineup.com)

Plenty has been made of the lack of experience in Arsenal's defence yet it appears to be working for them - so why wouldn't it in attack?

This 4-3-3 set-up would see Smith Rowe and Saka on the left and right of the front-three with Martinelli playing as the loan striker; with Tierney and Tomiyasu bombing forward, it is sure to stretch the Leeds back line.

In midfield, Thomas Partey and Xhaka operate as a double pivot, while Odegaard is tasked with bridging the gap between midfield and attack.

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