PREVIEW: LEICESTER CITY 🆚 ARSENAL
After success against Aston Villa last week, Gunners return to the Midlands looking to rack up their 10th away league victory of the campaign on Saturday against Leicester City.
Arsenal have strung together three successive wins at the King Power Stadium over recent seasons; a ground where the Foxes haven’t enjoyed the best of times this term, winning just three of their 11 home league matches, including just one since October.
However, that did come via a 4-1 success over Tottenham Hotspur in their last fixture on their own patch, aided by key players returning to form and fitness plus some January recruitment. That combination has seen Brendan Rodgers’ side win three of their last five in all competitions as they look to recover from a wretched start.
Foxes looking over their shoulder
Just four points and positions separate Leicester from the relegation zone, where they have spent a large portion of the season after winning just once in their first 10 matches.
However they began to hit their stride in the autumn, picking up 16 of their 24 points to date in October and November before the World Cup break. That halted their momentum though, as just a solitary draw arrived from their first five games after the restart to once again leave them in danger.
That prompted Rodgers to dip into the January transfer market, with defenders Victor Kristiansen and Harry Soutar recruited alongside Tete in attack. They re-energised the side to record successive high-scoring victories over Aston Villa and Tottenham this month, before falling to a 3-0 defeat to an on-form Manchester United last weekend.
What the managers say
Arteta: "They've been really consistent the past few weeks in the games they've played. It's true that Brendan has proposed very different games in many different moments throughout the seasons and they have this capacity to adapt, play different formations and play in different approaches.
"We have prepared for both because it's possible and let's see what they do tomorrow." - read everything Mikel said in his pre-match press conference
Rodgers: "I think both teams want to play. That's the identity and philosophy of both Mikel and myself. We want to create and score goals. I think we've shown that but, of course, you have to be mindful of the quality they have.
"Like in all the big games against top teams, you have to defend well, you have to be strong, do all the basics of the game well, track runners, be competitive, and then you have to believe in your football, believe that you can create and score goals. It should be a fantastic game."
Team news
Thomas Partey is the one out of our trio of injured players closest to a first-team return as he attempts to recover from the muscle problem that has kept him out the past two games. Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus and Mohamed Elneny remain out.
Leicester’s previously-packed treatment room is starting to empty. Youri Tielemans and Boubakary Soumare played the final 30 minutes last weekend after missing matches with calf and hamstring ailments respectively, while Ricardo Pereira recently returned to the squad after a long Achilles lay-off.
Rodgers could also call upon fellow long-term injury victims Jonny Evans (thigh) and Ryan Bertrand (knee) who are nearing a return, but James Justin is out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
There is also a doubt about James Maddison's availability, who has been nursing a knee injury in recent months, despite recently returning to the side.
Facts and stats
1
Leicester have lost their last four Premier League games against Arsenal, last losing five in a row against them in the league between September 1930 and October 1932.
2
Arsenal are looking to win three consecutive away league games against Leicester for just the second time, previously doing so between December 1913 and September 1925.
3
Leicester are winless in 18 Premier League games against teams starting the day top of the table (D2 L16) since a 1-0 win at Manchester United in January 1998. This is just their second such game against Arsenal, with the other being a 2-1 Gunners victory in the final game of their unbeaten 2003-04 campaign.
4
Leicester have won just three of their 11 home league games this season (D3 L5), though did beat Tottenham 4-1 in their last match at the King Power Stadium.
5
Arsenal have won nine of their 12 Premier League away games this season (D1 L2), as many as they did in their 19 on the road last term. They've only reached double figures for away wins in one of the last eight campaigns (10 in 2020-21).
Match officials
This will be the third time Craig Pawson has handled one of Arsenal's games this season, with all three coming away from home. Arsenal beat Bournemouth in August and Tottenham Hotspur in January in the previous two, and have won 15 of the 28 previous games he has overseen.
He has refereed the Foxes more than any other club - 38 occasions - but they have lost each of the last four. Pawson has once taken charge of this fixture, which was our 5-2 success at the King Power Stadium back in September 2015.
- Referee: Craig Pawson
- Assistant Referee 1: Marc Perry
- Assistant Referee 2: Scott Ledger
- Fourth Official: Robert Jones
- VAR: Michael Salisbury
- Assistant VAR: Lee Betts
Recent trips to Leicester
Arsenal are looking to win three consecutive away league games against Leicester's for just the second time, previously doing so between December 1913 and September 1925.
Last season brought a 2-0 triumph thanks to goals from Gabriel and Emile Smith Rowe, while the previous campaign saw Tielemans’ early strike cancelled out by David Luiz, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe to record a 3-1 away win.
That season also saw Arsenal face the Foxes in the League Cup, where progress was made thanks to a Christian Fuchs own goal and an Eddie Nketiah effort, ending a run of three successive defeats at Leicester.
إرسال تعليق