Premier League: Who needs a Win more; Arsenal or Leicester?

Arsenal vs Leicester City

You know what? That’s an unfair question because the answer depends on who you are of course! But of the 20 teams in the Premier League you’d be hard pressed to find two teams in more need of a victory than Arsenal and Leicester City.

Arsenal are currently fourth in the table, performing well but they come into the game on the back of three draws in four, punctuated by a 1-0 win in the North London Derby.

The Gunners’ hearts were broken by a dramatic last gasp equaliser from John Stones in a 2-2 draw with leaders Manchester City, and that followed a hard earned 0-0 draw away to Atalanta in the Champions League. So Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal deserve some credit for their recent output and they are priced, here at SBOTOP at 1.15 to win this clash. Anything other than a win in this game would hand the Sky Blues a huge advantage and the Premier League 2024 betting odds already back a fifth consecutive title for Pep Guardiola’s team.    

Steve Cooper has his work cut out as Leicester boss; off the field the club is in turmoil and the Foxes are one of six teams who are yet to pick up a win and they will be hard pressed to pick anything up at the Emirates on Saturday. But if a win doesn’t come soon things will start to look very bleak for Cooper and the Foxes.  

 

Talking Points

Arsenal’s corner prowess will undo the Foxes

Riccardo Calafiori’s stunner of an equaliser took all the headlines at the Etihad but the second goal, a thumping header from centre back Gabriel underlined just how good the Gunners have become at set-pieces. Since the arrival of set-piece coach Nicolas Jover, who Arteta worked with at Manchester City, Arsenal have scored more goals from corners and free-kicks than any other team in the top flight. And Gabriel’s goal in Manchester was a replica of his winner in the North London Derby a week earlier. A pinpoint in-swinging corner delivered by Bukayo Saka, a goalkeeper crowded and a thumping header from Gabriel is a hard attack to repel.

There was some question as to whether Gabriel’s goal against City should have stood; but I don’t think Sky Blues keeper Ederson will want to claim he was overpowered by Gabriel Martinelli!  

Leicester’s defence will know all about Arsenal’s danger from set-pieces; whether the Foxes can do anything about it is another question.       

 

Has Cooper lost the dressing room already?  

Leicester fans were underwhelmed when Steve Cooper, beloved by local rivals Nottingham Forest, became their manager at the start of this campaign as a replacement for the charismatic Enzo Maresca. And rumours in the East Midlands city now suggest he is at risk of a player mutiny which would surely shove Cooper towards the exit door. The Leicester board have apparently heard that the players are far from convinced by the 44 year olds training methods.

To be fair to Cooper, although their Premier League 2024 results haven’t been spectacular the Foxes have been competitive in all their games so far, losing by the odd goal in three to both Fulham and Aston Villa and drawing with Tottenham Hotspur. But, while a 2-2 draw away to Crystal Palace was a good result a 1-1 stalemate at home to Everton last week was less so. They have been slow starters, but the Foxes have scored in every game they have played so far, mainly because their strikers have been in hot form rather than the creative players making plenty of chances. Veteran striker Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi have two goals each but they will face the best goalie in the league on current form, David Raya, and certainly the best defence, with Gabriel and William Saliba at it’s heart and the excellent Jurrien Timber alongside.       

 

History

Arsenal have won 22 of the last 35 meetings with the Foxes winning five and there have been eight draws. When the two teams met in the 2022/23 campaign the Gunners did the double to make it five wins on the trot against Leicester.

Early season form favours the hosts too, they have won three and lost three of their six games while Leicester have won one, a Carabao Cup match against League Two club Tranmere Rovers, while drawing three and losing two in the league.   

 

Betting Tips

At odds of 6.18 to draw and 11.08 to win the Foxes have a huge task ahead of them and, while they have been competitive in all games so far they have not met a team as good as Arsenal. The Gunners, having lost to a late goal against their title rivals last week, will be ready to take their frustration out on somebody.     

   

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