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In need of a boost Arsenal, Leeds face tough opponents -- each other
Updated: Thursday November 23, 2000 3:09 PM
LONDON (AP) -- After being outscored and outclassed in the Champions League, both Arsenal and Leeds are in need of a domestic boost on Sunday. Trouble is, they play each other. Arsene Wenger's Gunners, who have slipped five points behind Manchester United in the Premier League title race, squandered a second-minute lead and lost 4-1 to Spartak Moscow on Wednesday. On the same night, David O'Leary's Leeds got a soccer lesson from defending European champion Real Madrid in a 2-0 loss at home. Although those losses were in the opening round of group matches and both teams have five more games to recover, the performances didn't look good for English soccer. Now the two clubs have the chance to take it out on each other at Elland Road on Sunday. Arsenal will want to shore up a defense that looked uncharacteristically flimsy against the Russian champion, while Leeds aims to reassure its fans it still has the manpower capable of winning titles. "We should not make a catastrophe out of this," Wenger said after the loss in Moscow. "It is only the first game of the second round, and we faced a very good Spartak side. "I still believe we have the mental strength to come back to our best and I'm confident we will show it against Leeds in the Premier League on Sunday, even though it is clear we have to correct some flaws in our game fairly quickly." While the Gunners can argue that they played in sub-zero temperatures on a muddy field that had been cleared of snow, Leeds has no such excuse. O'Leary's plea of mitigation was the familiar one that he has six players unavailable because of long term injuries. "You need your quality people to keep possession, especially in midfield, but our midfield players were in the stands," the Leeds manager said. "Obviously, the players are disappointed, but you can't go in blasting them. You are dealing with young people, some of whom know they would not be in the team but for injuries. "We've done well to get this far," O'Leary said. "The players have dug deep, played with big hearts and plenty of spirit, but this was a game too far." Both managers would say that now is not the best time to be facing each other, especially with runaway leader and defending champion Manchester United confident of collecting three more points at struggling Derby on Saturday. The Reds emerged from their Champions League game with a 3-1 victory over Greek club Panathinaikos on Tuesday, with Paul Scholes netting the second of his two goals after a 32-pass move. United has lost just one of its 14 league games and its tally of 36 goals is eight better than anyone else. Although Derby has strengthened its defense with the arrival of Nigerian star Taribo West on loan from AC Milan, Jim Smith's team will do well to keep out the free-scoring Reds attack at Pride Park. Third place Leicester visits a Tottenham team boosted by its victory over fourth place Liverpool, while Gerard Houllier's Merseysiders go to Newcastle on Sunday to meet Bobby Robson's Newcastle. Fifth place Ipswich can maintain its amazing climb by winning at another promoted club, Manchester City, and Aston Villa hopes to gain three points at struggling neighbor Coventry. Down at the bottom, last place Bradford visits a Middlesbrough team which appears to be in freefall. Last week's 3-0 loss at home to Leicester was Boro's seventh loss in a row, and Bryan Robson's team hasn't won at all in seven games at its Riverside Stadium. Elsewhere, Chelsea goes to Everton, Sunderland visits Charlton and West Ham visits Southampton. Jean Tigana's Fulham has opened up a six point lead over Watford at the top of division one and should profit from a home game against lowly Grimsby, while Graham Taylor's Hornets host promoted Burnley. In Scotland, Sunday's Rangers-Celtic showdown at Ibrox could well decide where the league title is going even this early in the season. Defending titlist Rangers is 15 points behind its big Glasgow rival, which scored a 6-2 victory over the Gers two months ago. Tore Andre Flo, signed by Rangers from Chelsea for a Scottish record 12 million pounds (US$18 million) on Thursday, will make his debut. On the Celtic lineup will be his former Chelsea teammate Chris Sutton, whose 6 million-pound(US$9 million) move to Parkhead was the previous transfer record. Second place Hibernian, which is eight points behind Celtic, hopes to make up ground by winning at next to last St. Mirren.
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