Arsenal will aim to maintain their strong form when they face Leicester City in the Premier League this Saturday afternoon. The Gunners are riding high after the recent international break, remaining unbeaten in their past few matches. They secured an important victory in the North London derby and followed it up with a hard-fought draw against Manchester City, keeping their momentum intact.
Arsenal’s success hasn’t been limited to league play. They have also advanced to the fourth round of the League Cup, thanks to a comfortable win over Bolton Wanderers. In European competition, they managed to earn a valuable point in their Champions League group stage match against Italian side Atalanta.
With these recent results, Mikel Arteta’s team will look to continue their push when they take on Leicester City, a team that has posed challenges for other opponents despite their winless start in the Premier League. Leicester has drawn three of their league matches so far this season, including a gritty performance in their opening game against Tottenham, where they secured a point. In addition, the Foxes progressed to the next round of the League Cup after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Walsall.
Ahead of the weekend fixture, prominent football pundits Ian Wright, Gary Neville, and Jamie Carragher have weighed in on how they expect the match between Arsenal and Leicester to unfold. Given Arsenal’s title aspirations and the fact that they are playing at home, it’s no surprise that most experts are predicting a win for the Gunners against the newly-promoted Leicester side.
However, there is some difference in opinion regarding the scoreline. Arsenal legend Ian Wright, speaking on the *Stick to Football* podcast, predicted a solid 2-0 victory for Arsenal, describing it as a routine win over Steve Cooper’s side. On the other hand, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher expect a more decisive result. Carragher forecasted a 3-0 win for the Gunners, and Neville echoed that prediction, agreeing with Carragher’s assessment.
As for team news, Arsenal is dealing with several injury concerns heading into the match. Key players such as captain Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all ruled out due to injury. There are also doubts surrounding the availability of goalkeeper David Raya and defender Jurrien Timber. After Jack Porter started in goal against Bolton in the League Cup, there is speculation that summer signing Neto could make his debut for Arsenal between the posts against Leicester.
Leandro Trossard, who was sent off in Arsenal’s previous league match against Manchester City, will be available for selection. His two yellow cards led to a one-match suspension, which he served during the League Cup game against Bolton, making him eligible to play against Leicester.
Leicester City, meanwhile, is also grappling with injury problems. Central defender Jannik Vestergaard is sidelined with an ankle injury, and both Patson Daka and goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk will also miss the trip to the Emirates.
Despite these challenges, Arsenal will be keen to secure all three points as they continue their campaign for the Premier League title, while Leicester will look to break their winless streak and pose a challenge to Arteta’s side.