Saturday’s Premier League action kicks off at the King Power Stadium with a mid-table clash between Leicester City and a resurgent Arsenal, with the hosts the marginal betting favourites with NetBet Sport and other bookmakers ahead of the weekend.
Mikel Arteta’s men have managed to put their humiliating three-game losing start to this Premier League campaign firmly behind as they ‘gun’ for all three points here.
In addition to a series of handsomely-looking performances in England’s top-flight, the Gunners made light work of their Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Leeds, running out 2-0 victors on home turf.
With the Emirates finally brimming with confidence following a lacklustre start, Arsenal will be looking to beat Leicester in back-to-back Premier League away meetings for the very first time.
There is nothing but a mere goal difference to separate the teams heading into this round, which means Arteta’s side could finally break into the top half of the table with a win here.
Arsenal came out victorious in both last season’s visits to the King Power Stadium across all competitions and could rack up three straight away triumphs over Leicester for the first time since September 1925.
That is the music to Arteta’s ears, as the Spaniard had to deal with unrelenting media pressure in an opening couple of months of the new season.
Leicester City Preview
Leicester built on their eye-catching 4-2 home win over Manchester United, beating the league newcomers Brentford 2-1 on the road last time out.
Seeking their first three-game winning Premier League streak since the start of the calendar year when they went past Newcastle, Southampton and Chelsea, the Foxes can draw inspiration from their free-scoring form.
Brendan Rodgers’ men have netted 2+ goals in each of their last five competitive fixtures, including their Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win over Brighton via penalties (2-2 in regulation time).
In turn, since suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in mid-September, Leicester have turned the King Power into a venue of entertainment, with each of their subsequent four matches here featuring 4+ goals and both teams scoring (W1, D3 – 90 mins only).
Despite that goal-friendly environment, buckle up for a tense, keenly-contested showdown, as three of Leicester’s four Premier League home games this term have yielded a full-time margin of under 1.5 goals.
Player to watch: Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy has scored 11 Premier League goals against Arsenal, with only Man United hero Wayne Rooney (12) bettering that record.
Since he is coming up against his favourite opposition, it is hard to make a case for the veteran striker not to add to his seven-goal tally in the Premier League this season.
Arsenal Preview
The Gunners have enjoyed a significant turnaround from their uneventful early showings, going from three straight Premier League losses to six league matches without a defeat (W4, D2).
Arsenal brushed aside Aston Villa 3-1 at home last time out to snap a brace of stalemates with Crystal Palace and Brighton and move to tenth in the standings.
However, barring a 1-0 win at Turf Moor over lowly Burnley in mid-September, Arteta’s men have failed to win any of their remaining three Premier League away games this season (D1, L2).
Worryingly, the Londoners have drawn a blank in all three league away matches they failed to win this term, producing the division’s second-low nine shots on target in the process.
That said, Arsenal have suffered just two defeats across their last 11 Premier League fixtures on hostile turf (W6, D3), a run that includes a 3-1 thrashing of Leicester in late February.
Player to watch: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has hit the ground running in the Premier League, notably taking part in five goals across his last six appearances in the competition.
However, it is worth noting that each of his four goals scored in England’s top-flight this season has come at home, with the Gabonese forward still searching for his first away goal in the competition since early May.
Since finding the net in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Newcastle five months ago, Aubameyang has delivered just one assist in his subsequent five Premier League appearances outside the Emirates.
Leicester City vs Arsenal Predicted Line-ups
Leicester City (3-4-1-2): Kasper Schmeichel; Daniel Amartey, Jonny Evans, Caglar Soyuncu; Ricardo Pereira, Youri Tielemans, Boubakary Soumare, Timothy Castagne; James Maddison; Kelechi Iheanacho, Jamie Vardy.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Aaron Ramsdale; Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, Gabriel, Nuno Tavares; Thomas Partey, Albert-Sambi Lokonga; Bukayo Saka, Alexandre Lacazette, Emile Smith Rowe; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
