Preview: Arsenal vs Leicester City – stats, team news, line-ups

Arsenal return to Premier League action this weekend as they welcome newly promoted Leicester City to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Gunners will take on the Foxes firing on all cylinders fresh off the back of a 5-1 demolition job of League One side Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the EFL Cup.

Leicester were also in action in midweek, taking on League Two side Walsall in the EFL Cup third round, but unlike their upcoming opponents, they needed penalties to punch their ticket to the next phase.

Arsenal will head into this weekend’s showdown as overwhelming favourites to claim maximum points, but they can’t afford to underestimate their opponents given the volatile nature of the Premier League.

A bumper crowd is expected to flood the Emirates on Saturday, so those who want to secure the best seats in the house should get their Arsenal vs Leicester tickets from Seatsnet.com at competitive prices.

Match Preview

Arsenal were heavily criticised for their negative football in last weekend’s pulsating 2-2 draw against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.

However, it matters little in the grand scheme of things as the Gunners were able to grind out a result despite being forced to play the second half with ten men after Leandro Trossard’s controversial sending-off.

The champions broke the deadlock just nine minutes into the contest as Erling Braut Haaland latched on to an inch-perfect pass from Savinho to score his 100th goal in 105 appearances for Man City.

The Gunners were rattled but kept their composure, and it wasn’t long before they drew level in the most controversial fashion.

Arsenal won a free kick, and Kyle Walker was summoned for a chat with the referee, but the Gunners capitalised on a quick free kick to release Gabriel Martinelli while the Man City captain was out of position.

The Brazilian laid it off for Riccardo Calafiori to arrow a remarkable effort into the top corner, leaving Ederson stranded. Man City stars swarmed the referee to contest the goal, but their complaints fell on deaf ears.

Mikel Arteta’s side then took the lead on the stroke of half time when Gabriel Magalhaes diverted a pin-point Bukayo Saka cross into the back of the net at the second time of asking.

However, the major turning point in the game came deep into first-half stoppage time as Trossard was handed his marching orders for delaying the restart, having already been booked for a foul.

Arsenal dug in for most of the second half to preserve their lead, but they were undone by a gut-wrenching last-minute leveller from John Stones, which sent the Etihad Stadium into ruptures.

Despite sharing the spoils, Man City retained their spot at the top of the table while Arsenal sit fourth.

However, it is shaping up to be another exciting Premier League campaign, with just three points separating the league leaders from sixth-placed Newcastle United.

Arsenal returned to winning ways on Wednesday night during a brief hiatus from Premier League football, swatting aside Bolton to advance to the Carabao Cup fourth round.

Declan Rice opened the scoring inside the opening 20 minutes before highly rated academy talent Ethan Nwaneri bagged a brace on either side of half time, effectively securing the win for the Gunners.

Bolton pulled one back via Aaron Collins, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation as goals from former Chelsea teammates Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz wrapped up the five-star rout.

Arteta’s heavily rotated line-up got the job done, but the Spaniard is expected to deploy his big guns when Leicester visit north London on Saturday afternoon.

On the other end of the Premier League table, Leicester came from behind to rescue a point against Everton and keep their noses out of the relegation zone.

The Foxes found themselves on the back foot after just 12 minutes as Iliman Ndiaye skipped past a couple of players before drilling an effort beyond the reach of Mads Hermansen.

The contest was largely a game of two halves. Leicester started to grow into the game in the second half, and their persistence paid off as Stephy Mavididi put them back on level terms in the final 20 minutes of the match.

The draw left Leicester languishing in 15th place, and they’re still searching for their first Premier League win this season, having picked up just three points from their opening five games.

The Foxes were also frustrated in midweek as they needed a penalty shoot-out to edge a fourth-tier side in a game that could have gone either way, with both sides guilty of spurning guilt-edged chances.

Leicester will have to significantly up their game if they want to leave the Emirates with at least a point in the bag, but the odds are firmly stacked against Steve Cooper’s side, given their disappointing start to the season.

The Gunners boast a five-match winning streak over Leicester, and you’d have to go back to October 2020 when the Foxes claimed a 1-0 win at the Emirates courtesy of a late goal from Jamie Vardy.

Team news & potential line-ups

An injury to academy talent Myles Lewis-Skelly dampened Arsenal’s emphatic Carabao Cup victory over Bolton, but the Gunners will be hoping he hasn’t picked up a long-term issue.

Other than the versatile 18-year-old midfielder, Arsenal emerged from the Bolton clash unscathed, so Arteta should have a healthy squad ahead of the Leicester clash.

However, the Spanish tactician will be without his captain, Martin Odegaard, who is recovering from an ankle injury he sustained while on international duty with Norway at the UEFA Nations League.

Arsenal will undoubtedly miss Odegaard’s creativity in the middle of the park, but they have more than enough ammunition in their arsenal to hunt down the Foxes.

Sterling will be pushing for his first Premier League start in Arsenal colours after bagging a goal and an assist against Bolton.

He could replace Martinelli on the left flank, with the Brazilian struggling to get going so far this season. He’s yet to open his goalscoring account after seven games across all competitions.

Meanwhile, Leicester also emerged from the clash against Walsall unscathed, so Cooper should have a fully-fit squad to choose from this weekend.

However, he wouldn’t be able to call on either Patson Daka or Jakub Stolarczyk, as both players are still recovering from their respective ankle injuries.

With Daka on the sidelines, Vardy is expected to lead the line against Arsenal, although Crystal Palace loanee Odsonne Edouard is also in contention to make his full Premier League debut this weekend.

Arsenal potential starting line-up:

(4-3-3): David Raya; Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Ben White; Declan Rice, Thomas Partey, Jorginho; Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka.

Leicester City potential starting line-up:

(4-2-3-1): Mads Hermansen; James Justin, Wout Faes, Caleb Okoli, Victor Kristiansen; Harry Winks, Wilfred Ndidi; Stephy Mavididi, Bilal El Khannouss, Jordan Ayew; Jamie Vardy.