Leicester City vs Arsenal Preview & Team News: Not many fans/experts would have predicted Leicester City’s great early run of form which sees them unbeaten after 6 games winning three and drawing three so far putting them 4th in the table and just 3 points behind league leaders Man City. Arsenal on the other hand hand had a mixed season so far. Loss against West Ham on the opening weekend fixture was followed by 3 wins a draw before they were humbled at Stamford Bridge yet again and now see themselves 5th on the table with 10 points.
Leicester City will bring in first choice players in the starting lineup with the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy who missed out in the midweek league cup win against West Ham while Nathan Dyer and Matthew James are likely to miss the home game against Arsenal this weekend. Santi Cazorla will be available after his 1 game ban and Paulista should start having his red card suspension over turned.
Mathieu Flamini might start in place for Francis Coquelin (Knee Injury) in the defensive midfield role. We can safely assume Walcott and Alexis Sanchez will bother return in the starting lineup against missing out against Spurs in midweek. This is how I expect both teams to lineup this saturday afternoon kickoff.
Leicester City vs Arsenal Live Stream & Highlights: The game won’t be broadcasted live in the UK due to restrictions on 3:00 pm kickoffs so we will have free live streams with NBCSN us coverage plus couple of alternative links with Canadian channel TSN closer to the kickoff at around 15:00 uk time. After the match full match highlights will also be available right here on this page.
Match Predictions: Looking at the head to head record Arsenal looks a very dominant side against Leicester as they have never lost a game in last 17 matches between the two sides. Last year however both games were tight with Arsenal winning 2-1 at home while drawing 1-1 away. Arsenal will be confident after their 2-1 win over Spurs in midweek and I can see inflicting first league defeat on The Foxes this weekend. I am going with a 3-1 win for Arsenal.
When Arsene Wenger spotted this particular game in the fixture list back in the summer, he surely did not anticipate a clash between the teams placed fourth and fifth in the Premier League. Leicester City’s superb start to the season makes this encounter with Arsenal all the more intriguing.
When Leicester sacked manager Nigel Pearson after a run of seven wins in nine games saved them from relegation, eyebrows were certainly raised. When they appointed journeyman manager ClaudioRanieri in his stead, those eyebrows hit the roof. However, the Italian has settled superbly in the midlands and has led Leicester to an unbeaten start to the 2015/16 campaign.
Arsenal will know that a win at the King Power Stadium will lift them above Ranieri’s men and into the top four. As the table begins to take shape, they will not want to lose any further ground on leaders Manchester City.
With a rousing Capital One Cup win over rivals Tottenham in the bank, the Gunners now need to carry that momentum into the league.
Date: Saturday, September 26
Time: 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET
Location: King Power Stadium, Leicester
Television coverage: USA network (U.S. only)
Streaming: USAnetwork.com (U.S. only)
Form
Leicester
W (1-4) vs. Bury
D (1-1) vs. Bournemouth
W (3-2) vs. Aston Villa
D (2-2) vs. Stoke
W (2-1) vs. West Ham
BEN STANSALL/Getty Images
Arsenal
W (0-1) vs. Newcastle
W (2-0) vs. Stoke
L (1-2) vs. Dinamo Zagreb
L (2-0) vs. Chelsea
W (1-2) vs. Tottenham
Leicester’s start to the season has been quite remarkable. Six games into the Premier League season, the Foxes remain unbeaten and are set in the Champions League qualification spots—just three points behind leaders Manchester City.
However, in Arsenal they find themselves up against an opponent they have not beaten in 17 attempts. The last time Leicester triumphed over the Gunners was way back in 1994 at the old Filbert Street ground.
The Managers
Clint Hughes/Getty Images
It’s not so long ago that Ranieri was contesting the Premier League title with Arsenal as manager of Chelsea. Now, the new Leicester City boss finds himself as the definite underdog in this particular battle.
In conversation with Paul Wilson of the Guardian, Ranieri made clear that he is aware of the test the Foxes will face this weekend:
To beat Arsenal we must do the perfect match, no mistakes. Arsenal are great to watch, they are smart, fast and technical. They are ready to fight for the title again in my opinion. Maybe not the Champions League just yet, but in the league they are growing stronger. I think they have a chance. On Saturday we are going to have a very big match on our hands, because it is difficult to find a weakness in the present Arsenal team.
It’s clear that Ranieri regards his opposition as potential title-winners. If Arsenal are to end the season with silverware, they need to arrest a run of two consecutive defeats on the road. The Gunners lost atDinamo Zagreb and Chelsea in the space of a few days, but talking toMax Jones of Arsenal.com, Wenger seems confident his side can correct their away form quickly:
We do not go into these games feeling that we have too much of a handicap because we have done extremely well away from home.If you look at our results away from home, they are among the best and I think we have been the best away from home. That shows we have the mental qualities. In these two games we played with 10 men under very unfortunate circumstances.
With Leicester riding high, a win at the KP Stadium would be a significant statement of intent.
Team News
Leicester City
Ranieri, nicknamed "The Tinkerman," is expected to make a swathe of changes from the team that triumphed over West Ham in midweek Capital One Cup action.
That means the likes of 20-year-old striking sensation Joe Dodoo will have to make do with a place on the bench. In his stead, Ranieri is likely to introduce Jamie Vardy, whose speed and spikiness has lit up the Premier League thus far. Arsenal’s back four will have to time their offside trap perfectly to keep the England international at bay.
Rui Vieira/Associated Press
Ranieri will also bring Riyad Mahrez back into the fold. The prodigiously gifted playmaker is one of the emerging stars of the season and will be eager to continue his rich vein of form against the Gunners.
Predicted Leicester XI (4-4-2): Kasper Schmeichel; Ritchie De Laet, Robert Huth, Wes Morgan, Jeff Schlupp; Mahrez, Danny Drinkwater,Gokhan Inler, Ngolo Kante; Shinji Okazaki, Vardy
Arsenal
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