Arsenal vs Leicester City - Premier League Preview and Odds

Published on: 09/08/2017

Arsenal vs Leicester City - Premier League Preview and Odds

August 11, 2017 19:45pm - Emirates Stadium

Premier League

The 2017 Premier League campaign kicks on a Friday night as last year`s fifth-ranked side Arsenal take on 2016 champions Leicester City.

The Gunners began their competitive season on Sunday with a penalty shootout win over reigning league champions Chelsea in the Community Shield at Wembley. They also finished last season with a Wembley win over the Blues in the FA Cup final and will be hoping to carry that form into the new campaign.

New striker Alexandre Lacazette featured for 66 minutes on Sunday but is was fellow newcomer Sead Kolasinac who grabbed the crucial equaliser. That match topped off a decent pre-season for Arsenal, who will now start the season in good spirits with a home match against the team who finished 12th last term.

Leicester City didn`t had quite such a positive pre-season campaign but they did end it on a high note with a 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach. That followed defeats to Liverpool, Wolves and Burton Albion, a win over Luton and draws against West Bromwich Albion and MK Dons.

Since winning the league title in such dramatic (and unexpected) fashion back in May 2016, Leicester City have struggled to live up to those same high standards. However, they have made some decent signings this summer and should be in contention for a top 10 finish. Highly-rated defender Harry Maguire has been brought in from from Hull along with midfielder Vicente Iborra who arrived from Sevilla. More recently, striker Kelechi Iheanacho has been drafted in from Manchester City, although he remains a doubt for this game.

Recent form (all competitions)

Arsenal: WLWLW

Leicester City: WLLDW

Betting odds and tips

Leicester do not have a great record against the Gunners. During their title winning campaign, they were twice defeated by the Londoners and they haven`t beaten them in any event since 1994. On their last 10 visits to Arsenal, the Foxes have failed to pick up a single point and they failed to score in both of last year`s encounters. As a result, the home win looks like the best bet here.

Alexandre Lacazette looked sharp on Sunday and can be expected to be a threat here. He started last season with a hat-trick and will be keen to impress on his Premier League debut.

You can back Arsenal to win at 1/2 and Alexandre Lacazette to score first at 10/3 - both with Bet365.

By Neil Morris