Premier League: Gunners Need to Improve Their Aim!

Leicester City vs Arsenal

Unai Emery takes his Arsenal team to the Kingpower Stadium on Sunday for a crucial Premier League clash against Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester; and they need to rediscover their killer instinct.

In a four way race for two Champions League places, Arsenal have fluffed their lines over the last week, losing two very winnable games. And when I say they need the killer instinct that applies to their defenders just as much as their strikers.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been leading a talented and incisive attack at the Emirates and is in with a great chance of winning the Golden Boot, joint top with Sergio Aguero and Mo Salah at the last count. But the Gunners’ defence has been leaky to say the least, shipping six goals in the last two games. And they will come up against a Leicester City side playing with vibrancy since the arrival of Rodgers, and the Foxes’ strikers are in fine form too.

Let’s take a closer look at the details to inform our Leicester vs Arsenal predictions and try to hit the bull’s-eye with our SBOBET tips!

Talking Points

The Rodgers factor

After losing his opening game in charge, a run of four wins for Rodgers’ Foxes put them right in the hunt for seventh place. But defeat to an improving Newcastle, followed by a draw with unpredictable West Ham, has left them in tenth place, only three points behind seventh placed Wolves in the hunt for a Europa League place.

The former Liverpool boss has inherited a squad rich in talent, but one which started to look a little stale in the last few matches of Claude Puel’s unpopular reign. But they have found their Mojo back. Powerful midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is in the running for the Nigerian Pitch Awards after another impressive season. He’s a threat driving forward from midfield and not afraid to put his foot in, picking up seven yellow cards in the current campaign.

And Jamie Vardy has been a big beneficiary of Rodgers’ arrival at the Kingpower; the tactical tweaks made by the new boss have seen a real upturn in the former England striker’s fortunes. He had scored just nine goals in the season under Puel but has added seven in the seven games since the change at the helm.

Leicester have won just one of their last 24 Premier League meetings with Arsenal (D7 L16) — Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy celebrates scoring their first goal

Arsenal’s nightmare week

Nobody seems to want the normally coveted fourth place, which was once the annual right of the Gunners during Arsene Wenger’s long reign. Arsenal fans have watched Spurs lose, Manchester United lose twice and Chelsea draw at home to Burnley in the last few days. So how frustrating must it have been to watch their own side follow up defeat to Crystal Palace with a capitulation away to Wolves, where they were 3-0 down at the break, before big defender Sokratis headed a late consolation. If only he and his colleagues had been so efficient in defence.

Sokratis has picked up ten yellow cards this season though, so I guess you have to admire his commitment, if not his timing!

The Gunners won a difficult game at Watford before those back to back defeats, but they needed a big hand from Troy Deeney, the Hornets’ skipper, who got himself sent off in the 11^th minute. Arsenal’s problems for most of the season have been away from home and they won’t be relishing this trip to the Kingpower.

They may be without Aubameyang, who missed the defeat at Molineux with a sinus problem, and Emery is also sweating on the fitness of key midfield player Aaron Ramsay, who picked up a hamstring niggle in a Europa League win over Napoli.

History

Arsenal has won 16 games to Leicester’s two in the 25 head-to-head fixtures since 1994, and they won the return match 3-1 at the Emirates in October, Aubameyang scoring twice and Mesut Ozil putting in a man-of-the-match performance. How Emery would love to see those two writing the Premier League 2019 news headlines again this weekend.

During the last 12 meetings with Leicester playing at home, The Foxes have won twice and there have been six draws; while Arsenal has won four times with a goal difference of 21-14 in favour of the Gunners.

But there’s no denying that Arsenal’s away form has been pretty woeful for a potential top four side, winning just six of 17 away games.

Betting Tip

	Leicester City vs Arsenal	First Half over 1.25 goals @ 2.08
	April 28, 19:00(GMT+8)

Arsenal is the marginal favourite to win this game at odds of 2.55; with Leicester at 2.67 and the draw at 3.30. But one thing I think we can be certain of is goals.

Leicester’s resurgence under Rodgers and Arsenal’s undoubted talent, not to mention its erratic defence, is sure to provide plenty of entertainment; and I don’t expect us to wait long for the scoreboard to start moving.