Leicester City vs Arsenal – Preview
Aug 20, 2016 at 10:49 AM
The biggest match on Match Day 2 in Premier League is going to be Leicester City facing off Arsenal at their home in King Power Stadium. Leicester City created history last season when they won their maiden Premier League title against all odds where as Arsenal have finished runners up in the league last season.
However, both the teams have lost their opening fixtures as Leicester lost 2-1 to Hull City where as Arsenal lost to Liverpool by 4-3 in a thrilling encounter.
Both the teams are keen to win the game in order to open their points tally in the table. However, Arsenal have dealt major blows in their season opener as both Aaron Ramsey and Iwobi got injured and are ruled out of the fixture this weekend.
The Gunners will head into the game with a relatively weaker squad as Per Mertesacker, Gabriel, Carl Jenkinson, Danny Welbeck are all set to miss the match alongside recently injured Ramsey and Iwobi. However, Gunners were given major boost as star trio are set to make their comeback into the squad. Olivier Giroud, Mesut Ozil and Laurent Koscielny are set to feature for Arsenal after the three were given extended holidays for their Euro campaign.
Leicester City will go into the match with more optimism as they have pinned Riyad Mahrez to the club as the PFA player of the season signed a new four year deal with the Foxes this week. Robert Huth will also make a comeback to the squad after facing three game ban last season. Neither of the teams would want to lose the fixture as it is crucial for them to stay with other top teams despite it being the start of the season.
Managers quotes ahead of the game:
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri on Riyad Mahrez: “We are now in the Champions League and we need something more to play against the big teams. Now he knows very well what I want and my expectations are higher. Not only for Riyad but for all my players.
“He signed for four years, me too because I want to build. He wants to build something, Jamie (Vardy) wants to, Kasper (Schmeichel), everybody. It is good.”
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: “We have plenty of players who want to join us and I would say that even with the players who left, 99.5% of the players have asked to come back even when they left. It’s not so difficult to attract players.
“You are absolutely convinced that I do not want to spend the money, but I reassure you we are ready to spend the money. What I fight against is to think that the only way in football is to buy. To buy in itself is not a quality but to buy the good players is a quality, and I think this club has been built on that.”
Prediction: Leicester City 1-2 Arsenal