Arsenal visit the King Power Stadium today to take on a Leicester side that has blown hot and cold this season. In Brendan Rodger’s sides last five Premier League games, they have lost to Nottingham Forest, drew with Brighton, defeated Aston Villa, earned a comfortable victory over Spurs before having their asses handed to them at Old Trafford.
Arsenal’s pulsating win over Aston Villa coupled with Manchester City’s surprise draw at the City Ground has seen Mikel Arteta’s men go two points clear of their title rivals and that gap can increase to five points before Manchester City kicks the ball at the Vitality Stadium this evening. The Cityzens have been somewhat rocky in their away matches this season, and one can only hope that inconsistent form continues today.
Leicester’s start to the season was really wretched, winning one of their first 10 matches in the Premier League and fans called for Rodgers’ head on a spike with a series of losses that saw the Foxes languish in the relegation zone. An upturn in form just before the World Cup break saw Leicester gain some form that saw the team pick some victories but consistency has been an issue for the midlands outfit.
Like Arsenal, the club invested in January, signing Victor Kristensen and Harry Souttar in defense, while Brazilian winger, Tete, added some flair to their dwindling attacking play.
To team news, Arsenal is still sweating over the fitness of Thomas Partey, with Mikel Arteta hopeful that he will play a part today.
“He’s a really important player for us, who we missed in the last few games. Hopefully he can be available.”
In his absence, Jorginho has done very well to hold the fort and his progressive passes have been very key in Arsenal’s build up play. This brilliant tactical column by Arseblog’s Lewis Ambrose throws some more light on Jorginho’s influence from central midfield.
The manager also confirmed that Gabriel Jesus is itching for a return, but most importantly, he’s going to respect the time frame given by the medical staff. Yes, the goals have somewhat dried up for Eddie Nketiah, but he has been very important in providing the support to the team, pressing high up the pitch and getting involved in the buildup play. With goals arriving from other sources this season, Arsenal hasn’t been over-reliant on one player to come up with the goods week in, week out.
Leicester’s record against Arsenal is quite bad, with Arsenal winning their last four Premier League games against the club. Arsenal can make it three consecutive away league wins against the Foxes for just the second time in their history. Leicester’s home form has been terrible as well, with the Foxes winning just three of their 11 games at home this season. Only Southampton has a worse home record than Leicester.
Leicester vs Arsenal Predicted Lineups
Aston Villa: Ward; Castagne, Souttar, Faes, Kristiansen; Mendy, Tielemans; Tete, Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes; Iheanacho
Arsenal: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Jorginho, Xhaka, Odegaard; Martinelli, Nketiah, Saka.
Injury / Suspension Updates
Leicester: James Justin (Achilles), Jonny Evans (thigh), Ryan Bertrand (knee), Sammy Braybrooke (knee), James Maddison (knee)
Arsenal: Mohamed Elneny (knee), Thomas Partey (muscle), Gabriel Jesus (knee)
Form Guide
Leicester Form
- Last Five Games: L D W W L
- Last Result: Man Utd 3-0 Leicester (Rashford 25?, 56′ Sancho 61?)
- Leading Goalscorer: James Maddison (9)
Arsenal Form
- Last Five Games: L L D L W
- Last Result: Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal (Watkins 5?, Coutinho 31′ | Saka 16?, Zinchenko 61?, Martinez OG’ 93?, Martinelli 98′)
- Leading Goalscorer: Bukayo Saka (10)
Gooner Daily predicts a 2 – 1 victory.
Kick Off – 4.00pm (GMT +1) at Emirates Stadium.
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