‘This is the defining moment’; Arteta reveals what Arsenal will face against new-look Leeds

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is expecting a tough game on Sunday against a Leeds United side that has changed considerably under new management.

The Gunners host the Whites this weekend looking to continue their charge towards a top-four finish. The north Londoners sit two points clear of fierce rivals Tottenham heading into the latest round of fixtures. Spurs may have leapfrogged them by the time they take on the Elland Road outfit.

Antonio Conte’s men go up against title-chasing Liverpool on Saturday at Anfield. That will be a tough task for Tottenham as Jurgen Klopp’s side have won 14 and drawn three of their 17 home games this term.

Defeat for Spurs coupled with an Arsenal triumph would all but nail down their spot in next season’s Champions League. Arteta is aware of the magnitude of the match.

And the Spanish tactician, after signing a new three-year contract, predicts that the relegation-threatened opposition will be no pushovers.

“It’s a lot to play for and obviously, the situation that they are in, they are going to show how much they want to get out of that zone as quickly as possible,” he told reporters.

“For us, this is the defining moment of the season after everything we’ve done so we want to capitalise on what we’ve done in the last nine or 10 months.”

The Gunners travelled to West Yorkshire on December 18 and returned home on the right end of a 4-1 scoreline. That triumph was during a four-game winning streak for the Emirates outfit.

They have won their past three league games and would love to make it four. But Arteta is not reading too much into the sides’ previous match-up.

“They had a lot of Covid players at the time and they were struggling with numbers,” he added. “We’re in a really strong position at