Leicester v Arsenal Preview By Simon Mack

Leicester City vs Arsenal

Saturday 9^th November 2019 17:30

King Power Stadium

Were barometers ever a ‘thing’? They were in my household as a kid, and my father would tap it every morning before he left for work to check the likely outcome of the day’s weather. Leicester City’s season to date seems to have been peppered with the phrase along with ‘litmus paper’ ‘acid test’ ‘benchmarks’ and just about any other grading process you might like to paraphrase. Each time the foxes have passed their examination with flying colours, and as the hacks draw their laptops from the satchel to preview this weekend’s game just maybe the uncertainty in regard to the longevity of city’s form is beginning to be forgotten.

Leicester’s assault on the top 4 places in the Premier League seems here to stay, and as previously perennial Champions League qualifiers Arsenal come to town all now seem to comprehend and respect the pedigree of their hosts, and that in truth the home side are the better outfit in this 2019/20 campaign.

Four score draws denote the gunner’s form coming into this Saturday tea time encounter. Vitoria Guimaraes ended Arsenal’s 100% Europa League record in Portugal on Wednesday evening, whilst a 1-1 at home to Wolves was the fruit of their endeavours last weekend. An insane 5-5 Carabao Cup tie with Liverpool preceded that and back in late October a home tie with fellow Londoners (and the foxes latest victim) Crystal Palace ended 2-2 and saw Arsenal skipper Granit Xhaka spit his dummy out in the most public of ways resulting in him losing the captaincy of the club.

Currently six points behind their hosts in 5^th place Arsenal seem to be slowly losing patience with manager Unai Emery, and the fact that in all 4 of the aforementioned games his side failed to hold onto the lead they had established will further the doubts as the pressure intensifies on the Spaniard.

Xhaka is likely to be omitted from the match day squad to face the foxes as his manager ponders the Swiss internationals future whilst Dani Ceballos is also a doubt with a thigh injury. David Luiz should come back into the side having been rested for the trip to Guimarães mid-week and you’d think that Mesut Ozil would feature in an attacking role to ignite the gunner’s creative juices.

For the foxes once again there are no injury concerns going into this one and after the resilient, efficient and creatively deadly display down at Palace last time out it’s hard to look beyond what is becoming a settled starting eleven for Brendan Rodgers.

The one anomaly in my opinion might be that of the rising star in the camp in the guise of Demari Gray. His cameos from the bench have resulted in multiple assists including superb link up play for Vardy’s goal down in London last weekend. In addition Gray had a hand in all 3 goals as a starter against Burton in the Carabao Cup and with Ayonze Perez blowing hot and cold in that right sided midfield berth will this be an opportunity to give Gray another crack from the off?

Dennis Praet seems firmly rooted back on the bench and with the rest of the players holding down starting midfield berths in sensational form you’d think it will stay that way for now, and that means Hamza Choudhury is confined to the bench for the time being also.

Defensively the now established four seem to be improving game by game with a notable uplift in Ben Chilwell’s form in the past few games and the ever astonishingly high standard being set by Caglar Soyunchu looking like being the best bit of non-business any Premier League club achieved this season.

Under Rodgers city have not just managed to win but indeed their victories have been achieved whilst having the lion’s share of possession and being hugely creative in their efforts and as such his charges must have high hopes for inflicting further pressure on Emery and his men when they come to town this weekend and put themselves into 2^nd spot to sit back and see what becomes of the Liverpool vs Man City clash in Sunday.

The barometer has been swapped for a new Vichai scarf to remember the great man and an optimism chart that is bursting through the ceiling, and with the league’s top scorer having a vintage season who’d bet against Jamie Vardy not making Unai Emery’s fingernails that bit shorter and the pressure on man city to go to Anfield and get something that bit stronger this weekend?

Leicester City possible line up:

Schmeichel, Ricardo, Evans, Soyuncu, Chilwell, Ndidi, Tielemans, Perez, Maddison, Barnes, Vardy

Arsenal possible line up:

Leno, Bellerin, Sokratis, Luiz, Tierney, Guendouzi, Torreira, Pepe, Ozil, Aubameyang, Lacazette