Arsenal return to action after their extended break to Dubai with one question hanging over them: how can they score the goals to stay alive in the title race? While the Gunners were in warmer climes they saw title rivals Liverpool crash out of the FA Cup and drop two points away to Everton, meaning that with 14 games left to play there is a manageable gap of seven points to first. And yet you could hardly blame any supporters that were looking the other way as news trickled through first that Gabriel Martinelli was facing a long lay off and then that Kai Havertz, the last striker left standing, wouldn’t play again this season after tearing his hamstring.
The Gunners will travel north with just three first team forwards for Mikel Arteta to pick from: Leandro Trossard, struggling Chelsea loanee Raheem Sterling and 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri. A Leicester side with just three points to their name is a favorable opponent but there are going to be serious questions about how much threat Arsenal can pose until Martinelli and Bukayo Saka return next month.
Viewing information
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 15 | Time: 7:30 a.m. ET
- Location: King Power Stadium — Leicester, United Kingdom
- TV: USA | Live Stream: fuboTV
- Odds: Leicester +850; Draw +400; Arsenal -333
Team news
Leicester: The trio of Jamie Vardy, Jannik Vestergaard and Victor Kristiansen — all of whom were unavailable for the defeat to Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup — will all return to contention on Saturday afternoon with Ruud van Nistelrooy confirming that they had trained well. Vardy’s presence seems particularly auspicious. The 11 goals he has netted against the Gunners, who tried to sign him in the summer of 2016, is the joint-most he has against any opponent, tied with Watford. It should however be noted that he is goalless against them since October 2020.
Possible Leicester XI: Hermansen; Coulibaly, Faes, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Winks, Soumare; El Khannouss, Ndidi, Mavididi; Vardy
Arsenal: When Gabriel Martinelli limped out of the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle with a suspected hamstring injury it must have seemed things couldn’t possibly get any worse for Arteta. If only. A trip to Dubai that had breathed new life into Arsenal last season tolled a heavy price this as Kai Havertz tore his hamstring, ruling him out into the 2025-26 preseason. With Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka already sidelined before the closing of a January transfer window, Arsenal are down to their last three senior forwards.
The news is somewhat better in defense, where Ben White returned to drills in Dubai with an eye to featuring in the squad that travels to Leicester.
Possible Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Trossard, Sterling
Prediction
Don’t expect Arsenal to run up the goals but Leicester are a favorable opponent. They should be able to come through this one. PICK: Leicester 0, Arsenal 2
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