Arsenal 2-0 Leeds United - recap: Marcelo Bielsa reaction after League Cup exit at the Emirates

Leeds United travel to face Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday night in the fourth round of the League Cup - follow live below on the Yorkshire Evening Post's matchday blog.
Leeds United travel to take on Arsenal in the League Cup.Leeds United travel to take on Arsenal in the League Cup.
Leeds United travel to take on Arsenal in the League Cup.

Marcelo Bielsa' s side take a midweek break from Premier League action tonight as they return to the League Cup.

United travel to the capital to take on the Gunners and we'll have all the latest updates throughout the night below:

Arsenal v Leeds United - LIVE BLOG

Key Events

  • Leeds United travel to face Arsenal
  • Whites visit Emirates in the League Cup fourth round
  • Bielsa’s opts for strong side, as does Arteta
  • Kick-off in the capital is at 19:45
  • -------------------------------------------------------------------
  • FT: Arsenal 2-0 Leeds United

Welcome to tonight’s League Cup clash between Leeds United and Arsenal.

The Whites travel to face the Gunners in the fourth round of this year’s competition, looking to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament.

We’ll have all the pre-match build-up, in-game updates and post-match reaction right here.

Early Arsenal team news

Arsenal are likely to still be without Kieran Tierney for their Carabao Cup fourth-round clash with Leeds United at the Emirates.

The Scotland full-back missed Friday’s 3-1 Premier League win over Aston Villa with a bruised ankle and is set to sit out the League Cup tie as manager Mikel Arteta is expected to make several changes to his line-up.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men could meet familiar foe in the form of former Leeds loanees Eddie Nketiah and Ben White.

Forward Nketiah spent the first half of the 2019-20 Championship promotion-winning campaign on loan in West Yorkshire from North London - scoring five goals in 19 appearances before his temporary spell was cut short over a lack of playing time.

White - who made a headline move to Arsenal last summer from Brighton & Hove Albion in a deal worth £50m - also spent time under Bielsa during the same season, becoming ever-present in the league and a crucial part of the club’s return to the top flight after 16 years away.

Gunners captain Granit Xhaka (knee) is a long-term absentee and will be missing for the visit of Leeds.

Early Leeds United team news

Whites winger Raphinha is expected to sit out the midweek clash in the capital despite revealing the injury he sustained in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Wolves was “nothing serious”.

The Brazil international hobbled out of the game following a challenge from opposition defender Romain Saiss but later gave a positive update on his fitness on social media.

Key midfielder Kalvin Phillips was an unused substitute against Wanderers as he returned to the squad following a calf and hip injury and could pick up some much-needed match minutes.

Last season’s top goalscorer Patrick Bamford (ankle) remains sidelined along with Luke Ayling (knee), Junior Firpo (muscle) and Robin Koch (hip) who sit in the treatment room still.

Predicted Leeds United line-up

YEP XI: Meslier; Shackleton, Llorente, Struijk, Dallas; Phillips; Forshaw; Roberts; Harrison, Summerville; Gelhardt.

What Mikel Arteta has said

“Against Leeds you know you’ll face a real game,” Arteta said.

“It is a coaching staff and a manager that I really admire for how they do things, for how they prepare their teams and it will be tough.”

Eddie Nketiah in today’s programme

“Playing there [at Leeds], that was a top atmosphere,” Nketiah said in tonight’s matchday programme.

“I had played at Salford the week before, and even at that game the away end was packed out. But my Championship debut was against Brentford was amazing. It was 0-0 when I came on with about 15 minutes left.

“Brentford were one of the other top sides in the division, so we needed a goal.

“I came on and scored and the whole place just erupted. It was right up there for me. I think that’s when I was first bringing out the phone celebration, but I couldn’t do it because I got absolutely mobbed by the whole team.

“I still had a sore back the next day where everyone had jumped on me.”

Pascal Struijk is doing the pre-match interview with TV, which indicates he is starting tonight.

Looking at the arrivals it looks like a very strong squad for United this evening - Joe Gelhardt, Cody Drameh, Crysencio Summerville, Charlie Cresswell and Stuart McKinstry among the youngsters who have travelled.

Sam Greenwood is also here, as he comes up against his former team.

The usual senior players are with Bielsa’s travelling squad amid the host of first team injuries.

It looks like a very similar squad to Saturday’s Premier League draw with Wolves... we’ll have official teams news any second.

Stay tuned as we wait for 6.45pm...

Some pre-match thoughts from the opposition

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