Arsenal vs Leicester City

Emirates Stadium sets the stage for a lopsided Premier League encounter between title-bidding Arsenal and out-of-sorts Leicester City.

Arsenal couldn’t believe their misfortune when Manchester City struck a 98th-minute equalizer to hold them to a 2-2 derby draw last weekend. Mikel Arteta resorted to ‘dark arts,’ with his 10-man side deploying time-wasting techniques to fend off the Citizens and protect their unbeaten start across all competitions (W4, D3). Despite a goal-glutted outing at the Etihad, low scoring has been a common theme in Arsenal’s matches this season, with four of their five league matches featuring under 2.5 goals. Arteta’s sturdy defense has its merits as the Gunners only conceded once in four Premier League fixtures before their trip to Manchester. Another steely defensive performance would bode nicely as the hosts bid to post their sixth consecutive top-flight win against newly-promoted Leicester City.

The Foxes must have hoped for a different scenario after securing a swift Premier League return last season. However, things have not gone their way in the early top-flight proceedings, with Steve Cooper’s side entering this round as one of only six Premier League clubs yet to get into the win column this term (D3, L2). Unsatisfied with Leicester’s showings, fans are already rallying against Cooper. The under-pressure manager secured a lifeline with a nerve-shredding EFL Cup win against lower-league Walsall on penalties. But a scoreless draw in regulation was far from promising, leaving their supporters wondering whether this Leicester team can end a dismal ten-game winless away streak in the Premier League (D4, L6). Since they’ve conceded precisely twice on both league visits to London this season (D1, L1), that’s highly unlikely.