Sunday brings with it an important day at both ends of the Premier League table, as Champions League-chasing Arsenal host Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium with Jesse Marsch’s side trying to avoid relegation. The Whites may have lost just one of their last six top-flight games, but Everton and Burnley’s recent improvement in form means they could now easily return to the Championship.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have their sights set on finishing in the top four and hope they can put more ground between themselves and Tottenham ahead of next week’s North London derby. Spurs face Liverpool on Saturday; If the results favor Mikel Arteta’s men, they could finish this day with a five-point advantage over their great rivals. Here’s how you can watch the match and what you need to know:
how to look
Date: Sunday May 8 | Weather: 9 a.m. Eastern time
Location: Emirates Stadium — London
TELEVISION: None| Live broadcast: Peacock
Possibilities: Arsenal-225; Draw +360; Leeds +550 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
featured game | Arsenal v Leeds United
arguments
Arsenal: Their post-international break wobble seemed to be the death knell for Arsenal’s Champions League momentum, but a run of wins against Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham has Mikel Arteta’s side back in the driving seat. Those games, however, have been largely chaotic in that the Gunners have lacked the control their manager likes to exert over contests. “The last games of the season tend to be a bit like that,” Arteta said. “Because of player fatigue, stress from different elements, it’s possible. So we have to be able to handle that chaos as well if it happens.”
I wouldn’t trade that for three points though, and it’s fair to point out that against West Ham his side were without three of their most forward-thinking passers, Ben White joining Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney on the sidelines. White will be evaluated in the coming days to see if he can play against the team he was on loan with in 2019-20, his assertive and elegant defensive work earning him many admirers at Elland Road. He add him back to a team that also includes Takehiro Tomiyasu and the Arsenal defense could keep a rare clean sheet.
Leeds: If you had told Marsch after a 3-0 loss to Aston Villa that his team would pick up 11 points in the next five games, he would surely have bitten your hand. It would be enough to convince anyone that their side would be safe from relegation, but the ensuing 4-0 loss to Manchester City came as Burnley and Everton won. Suddenly, Fivethirtyeight’s statistical models have the Yorkshire Giants as favorites for relegation.
It’s quite a culture shock for the former New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Salzburg coach. “I’m used to being at the other end of the spectrum, fighting for the title,” Marsch said before the City game. It doesn’t help that he’s once again without the most experienced members of his squad, Stuart Dallas and Adam Forshaw are out for the season, while Patrick Bamford and Liam Cooper will, at best, be working for get back in top shape.
Prediction
Arsenal are rarely a comfortable leader late in the season, but they should have enough to get the job done. Choose: Arsenal 2, Leeds 0