Premier League: Leicester City vs Arsenal match preview
A look ahead to Saturday’s Premier League match at the KP Stadium
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Your support makes all the difference.Arsenal have put their fans through a fair few nervy moments already this season. They left it late to bag crucial goals against Crystal Palace and Everton and their passage to the group stages of the Champions League, secured on Wednesday night with a narrow 1-0 aggregate win over Besiktas, was too close for the comfort of many. While title-favourites Manchester City and Chelsea are winning games by two-goal margins and putting in commanding performances, the Gunners could do with a convincing victory here to prove they belong in the same bracket.
It has been a congested start to the campaign for them but given the importance of qualifying for the Champions League and given they didn’t get the job done in the first leg, Arsene Wenger hasn’t had the luxury of being able to play around with his starting XI. It doesn’t help that Olivier Giroud has been ruled out for three to four months with the ankle injury he sustained at Everton last weekend. His absence leaves the Gunners decidedly threadbare up top but Wenger is being coy about dipping back into the transfer market, instead putting his faith in Alexis Sanchez to lead the line.
For Leicester, this is the latest in a run of brutal fixtures to welcome them back to the Premier League. But they haven’t shied away from the challenge. They refused to be beaten by Everton, twice coming from behind to clinch a point, and who knows what might have been at Stamford Bridge had David Nugent buried his one-on-one to open the scoring.
The midweek defeat and exit from the Capital One Cup at the hands of Shrewsbury was a setback but boss Nigel Pearson rotated heavily and will no doubt be sending out his first-choice XI on Sunday. On home soil they will not be overly fearful of a tired Arsenal side yet to find its stride.
KICK-OFF: Sunday, 4pm
PAST MEETINGS…
Arsenal 2 (Henry, Vieira) Leicester 1 (Dickov), Premier League, May 2004
Leicester 1 (Hignett) Arsenal 1 (Silva), Premier League, December 2003
Leicester 1 (Izzet) Arsenal 3 (van Bronckhorst, Henry, Wiltord), Premier League, January 2002
STATS…
Leicester haven’t beaten Arsenal since 1983
The Gunners have 16 goals from their last 6 games against Leicester
Aaron Ramsey has scored in 5 of his last 6 competitive appearances for Arsenal
It is 10 years since Leicester last featured in the top flight
ODDS…
Leicester to win: 4.75
Arsenal to win: 1.75
Draw: 3.6
TV:
Live on Sky Sports 1 at 4pm. Highlights on BBC1 at 10.25pm
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