Leicester City and Arsenal will go head-to-head in the Premier League at the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon as both teams aim to get back to winning ways.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side have lost each of their last two games, with a controversial defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup last time out while Mikel Arteta’s team crashed out of the Carabao Cup at the semi-final stage following a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United.
Both teams are coming into this game with some injury issues and the managers will have some decisions to make, so this is how GIVEMESPORT expect the sides to line up.
Leicester Team News
Vardy returns to training
Van Nistelrooy will be delighted to have captain and star striker Jamie Vardy available once again after his recent injury, while Jannik Vestergaard and Victor Kristiansen are also back in contention for the clash with the Gunners.
But long-term absentees Ricardo Pereira and Isshaku Fatawu remain sidelined with hamstring and knee injuries respectively, but the rest of the squad is fit and available to help the Foxes try to climb out of the relegation zone.
|
Leicester Injuries and Suspensions |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Injury |
Potential Return Date |
|
Jamie Vardy |
Other |
15/02/2025 |
|
Jannik Vestegaard |
Other |
15/02/2025 |
|
Victor Kristiansen |
Other |
15/02/2025 |
|
Ricardo Pereira |
Hamstring |
27/02/2025 |
|
Isshaku Fatawu |
Knee |
04/08/2025 |
Van Nistelrooy Drops Team News Update
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the manager shared an update on his squad.
They had a good week of training, they’re back in full training. All being well today and tomorrow they’re ready for selection. There’s no other news other than that.”
Leicester Predicted XI
Vardy to start
- Leicester Predicted XI: Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Vestegaard, Kristiansen; Winks, Ndidi; Ayew, Buonanotte, El Khannouss; Vardy.
- Leicester Predicted Substitutes: Stolarczyk (GK), Thomas (DEF), Okoli (DEF), Coady (DEF), Soumare (MID), Skipp (MID), McAteer (MID), De Cordova-Reid (FWD), Daka (FWD).
Despite a strong performance in the FA Cup, Van Nistelrooy is likely to recall his injured first-team trio to the starting line-up. Wilfred Ndidi will start in midfield alongside Harry Winks to try and get some control, while Facundo Buonanotte could get a rare start to help ease the goalscoring burden on Vardy.
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Arsenal Team News
Havertz out for the season
Arteta has been rocked by the news that striker Kai Havertz has been ruled out for the season with a hamstring injury suffered during training in Dubai, leaving the side very short on forward options.
Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus remain long-term absentees too, while Gabriel Martinelli is out for around a month with a hamstring injury of his own. Takehiro Tomiyasu remains sidelined with a knee injury, but Ben White is expected to be in the squad for the first time since November after recovering from knee surgery.
|
Arsenal Injuries and Suspensions |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Injury |
Potential Return Date |
|
Ben White |
Knee |
15/02/2025 |
|
Gabriel Martinelli |
Hamstring |
15/03/2025 |
|
Takehiro Tomiyasu |
Knee |
Unknown |
|
Bukayo Saka |
Hamstring |
Unknown |
|
Kai Havertz |
Hamstring |
04/08/2025 |
|
Gabriel Jesus |
Knee |
22/11/2025 |
Arteta Drops Team News Update
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta shared an update on his squad.
“We were having a great camp in Dubai recharging, training, having some time off and connecting again with nature in a different environment, and then the injury happened in a very unexpected way. He [Havertz] was going to stop a shot after a set-piece, then he stretched the leg and felt his hamstring.
“Yes, Ben has been training more regularly now so we still have to manage his load a lot but he’s going to be available [for Leicester City].
“It’s too early, he’s [Saka] in an early stage of the rehab, so when we get a little bit closer and he starts to do more demanding stuff and has more load, we will see where he is. There’s no setback, he’s fine.”
Arsenal Predicted XI
Trossard to start as the No.9
- Arsenal Predicted XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Partey, Rice, Odegaard; Nwaneri, Trossard, Sterling.
- Arsenal Predicted Substitutes: Neto (GK), White (DEF), Kiwior (DEF), Tierney (DEF), Zinchenko (DEF), Lewis-Skelly (MID), Jorginho (MID), Merino (MID), Butler-Oyedeji (FWD).
With no striker available Leandro Trossard is likely to be moved into a central position up front, with Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri supporting him.
Aside from that Arsenal are at full strength and Riccardo Calafiori could come back in at left-back ahead of Miles Lewis-Skelly, with Ben White on the bench after several months out alongside fellow big-earners Zinchenko and Merino.
2:02
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