The Foxes got their campaign off to a disappointing start, with Hull City running out 2-1 winners when the two teams went head-to-head at the KCOM Stadium last weekend. Leicester were far from their best on the day: their defending was much shakier than we had grown accustomed to and their counter-attacking was not as sharp, with key men Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez not making the impact they would have liked.
Claudio Ranieri's charges may be asked different questions this term, with the Hull defeat a good example of that: the Tigers sat deep, denied their opponents space and made it difficult for Leicester to hit them on the break, something that other sides did not really do in 2015/16. Leicester may have to adapt this year, although against a possession-based outfit such as Arsenal they will probably be able to play their natural game.
Arsene Wenger's men also lost their opening encounter, with Liverpool edging them out in a seven-goal thriller at the Emirates Stadium. The Frenchman was criticised by the club's supporters for leaving Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny out of the matchday squad, with the latter's absence - as well as Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista's through injury - meaning the Gunners had to field an inexperienced centre-half partnership of Rob Holding and Calum Chambers.
Arsenal actually started the match well and were the better team in the first period, but Philippe Coutinho's free-kick on the stroke of half-time turned the game on its head, with Liverpool storming into a 4-1 lead after the break. The pressure on Wenger by fans has intensified since that loss, and his team will need to respond with a strong showing on Saturday evening.
Leicester could welcome back central defender Robert Huth after the German completed his suspension against Hull, while second striker Shinji Okazaki will also be pushing for a start after an impressive cameo as a substitute last time out. Arsenal, meanwhile, will have Ozil, Giroud and Koscielny available once more, although Mertesacker, Gabriel, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Iwobi, Carl Jenkinson and Danny Welbeck will all miss out through injury.
Taking everything into account, it is probably worth backing Leicester and Arsenal to each take a share of the spoils this weekend. The Gunners were one of the few teams to enjoy success against the Foxes last term, beating them 5-2 away from home and 2-1 at the Emirates, but the champions should rise to the occasion this weekend and give a much better account of themselves than they did against Hull.
A 1-1 draw could therefore be the best betting option in the correct scoreline market, with Vardy – who opted to stay at Leicester this summer despite Arsenal’s interest in bringing him to north London – a potentially good choice for the first goalscorer of the game.
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