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Leicester logo
Premier League
Sep 26, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Arsenal logo

2-5

Vardy (13', 89')
FT(HT: 1-2)
Walcott (18'), Sanchez (33', 57', 81'), Giroud (93')

Preview: Leicester City vs. Arsenal

Sports Mole looks ahead to the Premier League meeting between Leicester City and Arsenal at the King Power Stadium.

Arsenal will be looking to get their Premier League campaign back on track when they meet high-flying Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.

The Gunners suffered a controversial defeat to Chelsea last weekend, while their opponents have not lost any of their league matches this season.


Leicester City

Claudio Ranieri Manager of Leicester City looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Stoke City and Leicester City at Britannia Stadium on September 19, 2015 in Stoke on Trent, United Kingdom.© Getty Images

Very few people would have predicted the impressive start to the campaign that Leicester have managed, following the turbulent summer that the club endured.

Nigel Pearson was sacked as their manager in June, despite guiding the Foxes to seven wins from their final nine games last season to keep them in the Premier League.

The club appointed former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss Claudio Ranieri to take charge, but his arrival was greeted with scepticism from supporters and pundits alike.

However, after their opening six league games of the season Leicester are unbeaten and currently sit fourth in the table, just three points behind leaders Manchester City.

The Foxes have also made it through to the fourth round of the League Cup, after claiming a 2-1 win over West Ham United on Tuesday evening thanks to Andy King's extra-time header.

Their last Premier League outing saw them come from two goals down to snatch a draw against Stoke City, and that result came just a week after they recovered from a similar scoreline to earn a 3-2 victory over Midlands rivals Aston Villa.

Recent form: DWDWDW


Arsenal

Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger walks off at the end of the Barclays Pemier League match between Stoke City and Arsenal at the Britannia Stadium on March 1, 2014© Getty Images

Meanwhile, it has been a far more turbulent week for the Gunners, who slipped to a damaging 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday afternoon in a heated affair at Stamford Bridge.

The major talking point was the first-half sending-off of Gabriel Paulista, who had reacted angrily to a tussle between Diego Costa and Laurent Koscielny, and the Gunners ended up finishing with nine men after Santi Cazorla picked up a second booking late on.

There was plenty of debate after the match, and Gabriel has since had his ban withdrawn, with Costa instead forced to sit out three games on the sidelines after being found guilty of violent conduct.

The defeat came just days after another disappointing night for the club, as they started their Champions League campaign with a shock 2-1 loss against Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb.

However, Arsene Wenger's side responded to those setbacks by beating North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the League Cup on Wednesday evening, with Mathieu Flamini firing in a stunning double.

The Arsenal manager will be hoping that the win can provide the spark for his team to put together a strong run of results, but they have found goals hard to come by in recent weeks, and have only scored five times in their opening six league games.

Recent form: DWWLLW


Team News

Arsenal's French midfielder Mathieu Flamini celebrates after scoring their seond goal during the English League Cup third round football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at White Hart Lane in north London on September 23, 2015© Getty Images

Leicester will make wholesale changes from the side who beat West Ham in the League Cup, with Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy among those expected to start.

However, Nathan Dyer and Matthew James are still struggling with injury problems and could be forced to miss out once again.

Arsenal will have Cazorla available after the midfielder served his one-match ban against Tottenham, while Paulista can also play after having his recent suspension overturned.

With Francis Coquelin a major doubt with a knee problem, derby hero Flamini should keep his place in the centre of the midfield.

A number of players who dropped out of the starting lineup at Spurs will return, with Theo Walcott expected to replace Olivier Giroud up front and Alexis Sanchez also coming back into the attack.

Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel, Laet, Morgan, Huth, Schlupp, Albrighton, Drinkwater, Kante, Mahrez, Okazaki, Vardy

Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Cech, Bellerin, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Flamini, Cazorla, Ramsey, Sanchez, Ozil, Walcott


Head To Head

Arsenal have an impressive record against Leicester in recent years and they have not lost any of the previous 17 games between the sides.

The Foxes last came out on top during a Premier League clash at Filbert Street in 1994, where Ian Ormondroyd and David Lowe found the net.

In their most recent meeting in February, Arsenal held off a late fightback from the visitors to claim a 2-1 win at the Emirates.

However, in last season's reverse fixture Leonardo Ulloa quickly cancelled out a goal from Sanchez as the Foxes held their opponents to a 1-1 draw.


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Leicester City 1-2 Arsenal

Leicester may not have a great record against Arsenal, but they will come into the match full of confidence after their strong start to the season. They have shown great spirit in recent weeks to rescue points from unlikely situations, while they have looked sharp in front of goal. In contrast, the Gunners have not been playing at their best and have already come under pressure. However, we feel that Arsenal will have too much quality for the hosts, which is why we are tipping them to claim the points at the King Power Stadium this weekend.



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Written by
Alex Meyers
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Santi Cazorla of Arsenal is shown a red card by referee Mike Dean during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on September 19, 2015
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