Arsenal vs Leicester

Arsenal and Leicester City will play in the Premier League on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium. The clubs faced off in the EFL Cup over the week, and their results were somewhat different.

Despite the Gunners' 5-1 thumping of Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday night, their newly promoted opponents, Walsall, will require a remarkable performance from their goalkeeper to prevail.

Mikel Arteta was overjoyed with the kids on Wednesday evening. When Arsenal played its first non-competitive game at the Emirates Stadium in the EFL Cup against League One club Bolton Wanderers, the manager started four teenagers who hadn't yet been born.

One of those, 16-year-old goalkeeper Jack Porter, made history by starting for Arsenal's men's team at the youngest age ever. Although he did not record a clean sheet on his debut, the teenager did watch fellow academy star Ethan Nwaneri score twice, and Declan Rice, Raheem Sterling, and Kai Havertz also scored.

Arsenal, who remain unbeaten in all competitions this season, were rewarded for their efforts with a fourth-round match against Preston North End. One week has passed since their thrilling match at the Etihad, where John Stones' 98th-minute equalizer kept the Gunners from winning away to Manchester City since January 2015.

Following Leandro Trossard's dismissal, Arteta faced criticism from both opposing supporters and teammates for putting every man behind the ball. However, few could genuinely criticize the Spaniard for taking an all-out defensive stance at home against the English champions.

Arsenal now sits fourth with a two-point deficit to catch up to the champions, but they missed the opportunity to pass Man City at the top by one goal. Their victory percentage of 70% in 2024 is tied with 1932 for their greatest in a single calendar year.

Moreover, Arsenal rarely get outplayed on home turf when facing newly-promoted teams, maintaining an impressive 39-match unbeaten streak at the Emirates in Premier League play against such clubs, a run that stretches back to a loss against Newcastle United in 2010.

While Arsenal enjoyed a goal-fest against Bolton earlier in the week, Leicester faced a far tougher challenge against Walsall at Banks’s Stadium. Despite the determined resistance of the League Two side, Steve Cooper’s squad was pushed to a penalty shootout.

Leicester’s goalkeeper Danny Ward, renowned for his penalty-saving feats that helped Huddersfield Town secure Premier League promotion in 2017, was unbeatable from the spot, saving all three of Walsall's penalties. This allowed Ricardo Pereira, Conor Coady, and Oliver Skipp to steer Leicester through to the next round.

However, the hard-earned win hardly boosts confidence ahead of a fourth-round clash at Old Trafford next month. Cooper’s team has bigger issues to focus on in the Premier League, where they remain winless after last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Everton in dreadful weather.

Although Leicester is among six teams still looking for their first top-flight victory of the season, their better goal difference places them at the top of that group in 15th position. Only during their relegation-threatened 2022-23 campaign have they failed to secure a win in their opening six Premier League matches.

In terms of winning streaks, Arsenal is on the brink of securing six consecutive victories against Leicester, having won their previous five league encounters since a shocking 1-0 home defeat during the Gunners' difficult run at the end of 2020.

Since Trossard's ban included all competitions rather than just the Premier League, the Belgian is back with Arteta after missing the Bolton victory because Neto, the backup goalkeeper, was cup-tied and had to sit out.

Following Porter, the Bournemouth loanee may now make his Gunners debut. David Raya remains doubtful due to a muscle injury he sustained at the Etihad, while Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ben White, and Jurrien Timber are all well following recent injuries.

On the other hand, Leicester is not as bad off the field in terms of injuries, as only Patson Daka, Jannik Vestergaard, and Jakub Stolarczyk—all of whom are recovering from significant ankle injuries—are present in the treatment area.

There will undoubtedly be changes on the visiting team's end as well. Jamie Vardy will likely be called back to the attack, and Ward's outstanding performance against Walsall won't be enough to keep him starting in goal over Mads Hermansen.

A consistent threat to Big Six teams, Vardy has 11 goals in 16 outings across all competitions versus Arsenal; the 37-year-old has only scored as many goals against Watford.