Leicester (h)

A rare 3pm Saturday kick off for Arsenal, and we welcome the Fosse Foxes.

Arsenal Team News
The brutal schedule of last week leaves us with big doubts over David Raya while Jurrien Timber and Ben White are also nursing issues - both are in training though.
Neto and Leandro Trossard are available after cup-tie and suspension.
Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mikel Merino were seen in training but not ready, Merino could even return before the international break.
Martin Odegaard, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney are long term absentees.
After impressive midweek performances a number of youngsters will be hoping to be included but they are probably not going to start. Ethan Nwaneri will hope his man of the match performance will get him in, but with the many senior options available he may have to settle for a bench place.


Leicester Team
Mads Hermansen is their established #1, and Leicester have been able to name a pretty settled defence ahead of him. James Justin, Wout Faes and Victor Kristiansen have played all 5 so far, while Italian Caleb Okoli has played his way into partnering Faes in the last 3 PL games with Vestergaard ruled out tomorrow.
Wilfred Ndidi and former Spurs man Harry Winks are ever-presents in the midfield and Jamie Vardy has defied the aging process to start all 5 league games at 37 years of age. Another ex-Spurs man, Oliver Skipp, was left out of the starting XI last time out after starting the previous 2.
The 3 places where Leicester have rotated are the supporting attackers. Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte and €20m Moroccan Bilal El Khannouss have been rotating behind the striker, although they could put Ndidi here if Skipp starts. Out wide Abdul Fatawa, Jordan Ayew, ex-Arsenal academy star Stephy Mavididi and Bobby Decordova-Reid have been sharing starting duties and sub appearances.

Leicester's form
An opening week draw against Spurs got their season off to a decent start, but ex-Arsenal duo ESR and Iwobi saw Leicester lose to Fulham 2-1 and they lost to Villa by the same scoreline. They then blew a 2 goal lead at Palace to draw 2-2, before getting a 1-1 with Everton to leave them on 3 points from 5 games.

Scorers
Our former academy star Stephy Mavididi leads the way with 3 in all competitions, and two in the PL. Jamie Vardy also has 2 in the PL, while Wout Faes and Facundo Buonanotte have 1 each giving Leicester 6 PL goals.
Wilfred Ndidi has 3 assists, with Abdul Fatawa and Buonanotte having 1 each.

Discipline
11 players have been booked once with no reds - unlike us!

Bookies odds
As expected, Arsenal are heavy favourites for this one - 6/1 on. Leicester are 14/1.
Kai Havertz is 4/1 to score first, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus 9/2. Gabriel Magalhaes is 14/1 to add to his collection with the first goal - the same odds as Jamie Vardy. Stephy Mavididi is 18/1 to put his former team to the sword, while Wout Faes is 100/1 to open the scoring with his second of the season.
Thomas Partey is 2/1 to be carded, while Jurrien Timber is 7/1 despite being booked twice already this season. Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp are both 3/1 to get carded against their old rivals.

Last meeting
Due to a season in the Championship for our visitors, the last meeting at the Emirates was in August 2022. It was an entertaining game to start our home campaign. Gabriel Jesus put us 2 up in the first half before an unfortunate Saliba own goal got Leicester back in it early in the second. Granit Xhaka quickly restored the 2 goals advantage, but James Maddison netted to make it nervy. There were 2 minutes between the own goal and the Xhaka one, this time the comeback was immediate, with Gabriel Martinelli making it 4-2 a minute after the Leicester second.
Ndidi, Justin and Vardy are the players remaining for Leicester from that game.
A one-nil win at the King Power later in the season courtesy of another Martinelli goal meant we took all 6 points from Leicester. We have won the last 5 meetings, with Leicester only taking a point from the Emirates - a 2020 draw with Vardy equalising an Aubameyang goal after an Nketiah red.


Potential XIs
---------------Neto--------------
Timber--Saliba--Gabriel--Calafiori
---------------Partey---------------
--------Havertz------Rice---------
Saka-------Trossard-----Martinelli

---------------Vardy----------------
Mavididi-----Ndidi---------Ayew
------------Winks---Skipp--------
Kristiansen--Okoli--Faes--Justin
--------------Hermansen-------------

Prediction
Arsenal 3-0 Leicester
Havertz, Saka, Martinelli



After the disappointment of a 97th minute equaliser last time out, Arsenal need to pick up 3 points here. Leicester have shown they can put the spanner in the works with their draw against Spurs. With 3 positive away results at Villa Park, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Etihad, making the Emirates Stadium a fortress of wins is very important on the back of dropping 2 points last time out at the Emirates.