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Leicester vs Arsenal: preview and analysis

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TEAM NEWS

Robert Huth returns to the Leicester squad to face Arsenal on Saturday after completing his three-match ban.

Jeff Schlupp remains available despite interest from West Brom.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits he may have to “gamble” on the fitness of Laurent Koscielny, who did not play in pre-season after reaching the Euro 2016 final with France.

Aaron Ramsey and Alex Iwobi both face three weeks out because of respective hamstring and thigh injuries.

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY

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.”

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.”

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

  • Leicester City are on a 19-match winless run against Arsenal in the Premier League (D6, L13) and lost both games last season.
  • Leicester’s only victory in the last 31 league and cup meetings came at home in the first Premier League fixture between the sides in November 1994.
  • Arsenal have only failed to score in one of the 27 most recent league encounters, when the sides drew 0-0 in January 2001.

Leicester City

  • Leicester City are the first reigning top-flight champions to lose their opening game since Arsenal in 1989. No defending champion has begun the following season with successive defeats since Aston Villa in 1981.
  • The Foxes have scored a league-high 11 penalties since the start of 2015-16.
  • Leicester have played four Premier League games without Robert Huth in their starting XI over the last year and have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of them.
  • Claudio Ranieri’s next Premier League win will be his 100th in the competition.

Arsenal

  • Arsenal haven’t lost their opening two league games since the inaugural Premier League season in 1992-93.
  • The Gunners conceded four goals at home in the league last weekend for the first time since May 2009, and only the third time in total.
  • Defeat by Liverpool ended Arsenal’s 10-match unbeaten run.
  • Alexis Sanchez has scored four goals in his two previous league games at the King Power Stadium.

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