Back to back defeats against Crystal Palace and Wolves have jeopardised Arsenal’s ‘top four’ hopes despite some astounding results in the past couple of months. They now have yet another tricky test awaiting them on Sunday lunchtime against Leicester City, a side that seems to be a rejuvenated force under Brendan Rodgers.
The fixture at King Power Stadium would be crucial for the Foxes too in order to stay in the hunt for a place in Europe. Both the sides need a result to chase their season objectives and the match could be a fascinating one between two mostly attacking teams.
Arsenal Team News vs Leicester City:
The Gunners have an array of injury absentees for the Sunday fixture. Rob Holding [knee], Danny Welbeck [ankle] and Hector Bellerin [knee] are ruled out for the season whereas Aaron Ramsey and Denis Suarez continue to be sidelined with their respective thigh and muscle injuries. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed the Wolves game with a face injury and will undergo a late fitness test before their Leicester trip.
Arsenal Formation vs Leicester City:
Unai Emery has tried out various setups none of which materialised in the long run. A ‘back four’ did not work out against Wolves, and the gaffer should switch it to a 3-4-2-1 that would bring in more stability at the back and balance in midfield.
Defence
Bernd Leno, though erroneous between the sticks on Wednesday night, should retain his place ahead of Petr Cech in these remaining fixtures.
A three-man backline should contain Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal who have been impressive in several crucial outings while playing together in the heart of Arsenal defence.
Midfield
Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been a revelation and should be deployed down the right flank to help out high up the pitch as well as offer his presence at the back. Sead Kolasinac might operate as a left wingback even though the Bosnian needs to improve his game and bring in a consistency to his performances.
Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira are the best central midfield options the Gunners currently have. The duo should retain their place in the middle of the park while youngster Matteo Guendouzi remains an option who could be utilised from the bench.
Injuries to Welbeck and Ramsey left Emery with Alex Iwobi, Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan as the only options available to feature in an advanced midfield role. Mkhitaryan, however, had a disappointing outing at Molineux and the Spaniard should bank on the other two for their forthcoming fixture.
Attack
Arsenal are likely to miss out Aubameyang for the Leicester game too. The Gunners would rely on Alexandre Lacazette once again to spearhead their attack as the lone centre-forward.
