Arsenal return to home comforts after a few daunting away trips, as they resume Premier League action against Leicester City.
Much has been spoken about Arsenal in the fall-out of the stalemate with Manchester City at the Etihad, with ‘dark arts’ and ‘negative football’ grabbing the headlines as they prepare to host Leicester City at the Emirates. What should have made the papers is the situation Mikel Arteta’s side found themselves in after a soft second yellow to Leandro Trossard reduced them to ten men for more than 55 minutes of the game.
Arsenal have yet to be given the credit for coming out of the Eithad with a draw. Instead, the result, owing to a stubborn defensive display, has given them bad press. Arteta, as usual, was unfazed by all the talk and remained focused on his task as his side booked their place in the next round of the EFL Cup with a 5-1 win over Bolton Wanderers at the Emirates in midweek.
Now, Arteta will focus on matters of the Premier League with Arsenal finishing last weekend in fourth place; Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa are ahead of them. For the time being, the Gunners have manoeuvred through expertly what was previously defined as a challenging fixture period, and now the manager will look to maximise their potential in the upcoming games, which do look favourable on paper, starting with Leicester City.
Steve Cooper has come under some pressure lately following Leicester City’s inability to conjure up a win in the opening games of the Premier League season. The Foxes started the season brightly with a home draw against an attacking Tottenham side. But they have majorly failed to follow up on that as positive results have continued to evade them.
While Arsenal found it easy in the EFL Cup in midweek, Leicester struggled for relevance as it took their goalkeeper Danny Ward and his penalty shootout heroics to ensure they scraped past League Two side Walsall to progress into the next round of the competition.
That result, in particular, has added to the pressure on Cooper, who also could not get anything beyond a single point against relegation-threatened Everton at home last weekend. For now, the Foxes are two points off the relegation zone, and they will not want to rest on that minor gap, which could change in an instant, as the Foxes boss desperately needs a win, and what better place to get that than the Emirates.
Team News & Tactics
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta will have a lot of selection decisions ahead of the Leicester City clash, as there are quite a few problems in the squad following a daunting fixture period. On the positive side, Leandro Trossard is available again following his sending-off against Manchester City last Sunday, which saw him miss the midweek cup clash with Bolton Wanderers.
On the injury front, there are a few considerable doubts heading into the weekend, including main goalkeeper David Raya, who Arteta suggested had a muscular problem. While there is no official confirmation on the Spaniard’s availability, some reports state he will be available to play. If not, Neto could be in line for his debut since signing on loan from Bournemouth.
There are further doubts about the availability of Jurrien Timber and Ben White, with the pair sitting out the midweek cup clash. From Arteta’s recent comments on either of those stars, it does feel like he might not want to risk Ben White, as Timber could potentially return to action at the weekend.
Kai Havertz should return to lead the line for the Gunners, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli likely to be preferred on either wing. Trossard should also return in what might be a similar role from the Manchester City game, as Thomas Partey and Declan Rice sit at the base of the midfield.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Saka, Partey, Rice, Martinelli; Havertz, Trossard
Leicester City
Steve Cooper has suggested there are no fresh concerns with the squad from the last Premier League clash. However, there are no fresh returnees either, as Jannik Vestergaard, Patson Daka, and goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk are still out of contention.
The Leicester City boss will still have to tinker with his team selection ahead of this daunting trip to the Emirates. Wout Faes and Caleb Okoli will form the central defensive pairing, with James Justin and Victor Kristiansen the preferred choices in the full-back roles.
Cooper could continue using Wilfred Ndidi in the advanced midfield role, while former Tottenham midfielders Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp are stationed in the central roles. Summer arrival Jordan Ayew will retain his place on the right wing.
Former Arsenal academy player Stephy Mavididi should be stationed on the left. Veteran Jamie Vardy will look to renew his acquaintances with the Gunners as he leads the line for the Foxes and hope to get the better of their formidable defenders.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Okoli, Kristiansen; Winks, Skipp; Ayew, Ndidi, Mavididi; Vardy
Key Stats
- Arsenal have won 11 of their last 13 home matches against Leicester City in all competitions.
- Arsenal are undefeated in their last 11 matches in the Premier League.
- Arsenal have won 16 of their last 17 top-flight games against newly-promoted opposition (including all six last season by an aggregate score of 25-4). The exception in that run was a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on 20 May 2023.
- Leicester City have failed to win ten of their last 11 matches in the Premier League.
- Leicester City’s only clean sheet in their last 28 top-flight fixtures was a 0-0 draw at Newcastle United in May 2023.
Player to Watch
Leandro Trossard
The subject of controversy last Sunday, Trossard returns to the fold after a suspension for his sending-off against Manchester City. The Belgian international seems to have got himself a vital role to replace Martin Odegaard in the side as Mikel Arteta looks to use the attacker differently in his plans.
Trossard will be pumped up to show the manager he can deliver the goods, although there is no faulting his performances in big games against Tottenham and Manchester City. However, these games, like the one against Leicester, can be a big opportunity to seamlessly fit in with the attacking side of things, as the Belgian could potentially have a big game on Saturday.
Prediction
Arsenal 4-0 Leicester City
Leicester City are under tremendous pressure to deliver the results and climb up in the rankings to quash the danger of another relegation. However, in their quest for the first Premier League win this season, they are suffering from a lack of form and now face the formidable threat of Arsenal away from home.
The Gunners are out there to prove a point to the many doubters they have had over the last five days and show they can play an attacking brand of football. With home comforts back in the equation, Mikel Arteta will look to produce a significant result and take a win while collecting yet another clean sheet in the process.