Leeds United are looking to fare better against Arsenal in the Premier League this weekend than they did in their two games against the champions last season.
The Gunners won the division in the 2025/26 campaign and beat the Whites by an aggregate score of 9-0 across their two games against the newly-promoted side.
Daniel Farke’s side were beaten 5-0 by Arsenal at The Emirates in August before losing 4-0 to Mikel Arteta’s men at Elland Road earlier this year.
One player who could be unavailable for selection in North London this time out is summer signing Jean-Matteo Bahoya, who sustained an ankle injury on international duty.
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Why losing Bahoya is not a major blow for Leeds
On deadline day, the Whites swooped to sign the French attacker on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt on an initial loan with an option to sign him permanently.
However, Farke has urged patience with the forward and described him as a project player, which is why he has only played one minute across four appearances in matchday squads for the club.
He had a brief cameo off the bench against Crystal Palace in the Premier League before heading away with France’s U21s for the international break.
|
Jean-Matteo Bahoya this season |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Opposition |
Club |
Minutes |
|
Crystal Palace |
Leeds |
1 |
|
Newcastle United |
Leeds |
0 |
|
Chelsea |
Leeds |
0 |
|
Brighton |
Leeds |
0 |
|
Union Berlin |
Frankfurt |
0 |
|
St. Tonis |
Frankfurt |
0 |
Bahoya is a doubt for the trip to Arsenal on Saturday, because of that injury whilst playing for France, but it would not be a big loss if he is unavailable, due to his lack of minutes on the pitch this season.
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Leeds hit with fresh injury blow
The Bundesliga loanee is not the only attacking player who may not be in the squad when Leeds announce their team to take on the Gunners on Saturday.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Farke confirmed that Daniel James is unavailable for selection heading into the clash with Arsenal at The Emirates.
The winger played the first three games of the international break for Wales, scoring against Norway, before being an unused substitute for the fourth match against Denmark.
Farke revealed that the Welshman returned to Thorp Arch with a back injury and will not play against the Premier League champions, and it remains to be seen exactly how long he will be out of action for.
1
Why James is a bigger miss than Bahoya for Leeds
Being without James is a bigger blow than losing Bahoya, should he be unavailable, because he has been more involved in the first-team so far this season.
The 28-year-old attacker has featured in five of the club’s seven matches in all competitions in the 2026/27 campaign, playing in three of the five Premier League games so far.
James also got off the mark as a scorer with a smart finish in the club’s 2-0 win over fellow top-flight side Nottingham Forest in the League Cup earlier this term.
The former Manchester United attacker has struggled since the club returned to the Premier League, as evidenced by his return of zero goals in 22 league matches since the start of last season, but he has still been called upon by Farke this term.
Without offering much in the way of goals or assists for the Whites, James has been utilised by the German head coach off the bench because of the speed that he can offer on the counter.
|
Dan James this season |
|
|---|---|
|
Opposition |
Minutes |
|
Crystal Palace |
23 |
|
Newcastle United |
12 |
|
Chelsea |
66 |
|
Brighton |
0 |
|
Brentford |
22 |
|
Nottingham Forest |
71 |
|
Nottingham Forest |
0 |
The Welshman was given minutes in five of the team’s last six matches in all competitions, starting two of those games, which shows that Farke trusts him enough to play fairly regularly.
Losing James, therefore, is a big blow for Leeds and a bigger blow than potentially losing Bahoya, because he has had a larger role in the team than the Frenchman.
Farke has lost a key piece of his rotation for the trip to the Gunners and the game in North London could have been well-suited to utilising his pace on the break, as the Whites will likely have to sit in and hope for opportunities to counter.
Leeds do have other options, such as Harry Wilson and Brenden Aaronson, but they do not offer the same lightning-quick pace on the break, which is why his absence may be felt this weekend.
