Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford reveals team mate “can’t wait” to face Arsenal’s Pepe again
Last Updated: February 12, 2021 9:58 am
Controversy last time out
Speaking on the official Leeds United Podcast, Patrick Bamford has revealed what teammate Macedonian Ezgjan Alioski told him ahead of their trip to Arsenal on Sunday.
“Do you know what he said in the changing room the other day?
“He said: ‘I can’t wait for Sunday’. I was like ‘why?’. He was like ‘I’m playing against my mate Pepe again.’ I was like ‘no way’.”
The last time the clubs faced each other at Elland Road in November, Marcelo Bielsa’s men were unlucky to be held to a 0-0 draw against 10 men, following the dismissal of Pepe in the 51st minute.
Pepe was sent off for after taking issue with Alioski following a coming together off the ball. He squared up to the full-back and pushed his head towards him. Alioski went to ground clutching his face and a red card was produced after a VAR check, with the match officials missing the original incident.
Alioski came into criticism for his involvement in the incident as did Pepe.
Arteta says behaviour “unacceptable”
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 08: Nicolas Pepe of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium on November 08, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta, speaking on the incident back post-match in November, said the Ivorian’s behaviour was unacceptable:
“Unacceptable. With what the rules are today, he can’t have any complaints. You can say the player is not in a lot of pain, but the rules are the rules and you can’t do that in today’s game.
“Nico hasn’t played that much and it was a good opportunity for him today. He stops his own progress with his behaviour. He looked frustrated and I thought this game would be good for Pepe. Leeds play man-to-man and I thought he would get isolated against left-back and beat them. He can do that and I thought he could be the match winner today.”
Leeds will be looking to end their dismal run of form in London fixtures this season, having already suffered heavy defeats at Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Spurs.
There is likely to be little Valentine’s cheer should Alioski and Pepe face each other again.
Arsenal without Partey and Tierney for visit of Leeds
This article was edited by Josh Barker.
Leeds betting odds, next game:
Leeds vs Aston Villa odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
| Leeds vs Aston Villa Result/Both teams score | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Leeds | 11/4 | 10/3 |
| Aston Villa | 4/1 | 11/2 |
| Draw | 10/3 | 14/1 |
| Leeds vs Aston Villa Goalscorers | First | Last | Anytime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Bamford | 15/8 | 15/8 | 11/10 |
| Ollie Watkins | 12/5 | 12/5 | 6/4 |
| Keinan Davis | 7/2 | 7/2 | 11/5 |
| Joe Gelhardt | 15/4 | 15/4 | 2/1 |
| Raphael Raphinha | 15/4 | 15/4 | 2/1 |
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 17 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 15 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 13 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 13 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 11 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 10 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 9 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 8 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 8 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 8 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 7 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 6 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 6 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 6 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 6 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 5 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 6 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dallas, Stuart | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 6 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 6 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 6 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 5 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 5 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 4 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 4 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 4 |
