Leicester City vs Arsenal will be the first kickoff in matchweek 10 of the Premier League and after a long time, the Gunners will go into a match as the proper favourites.
Arsenal have been having a torrid time since the start of the season but they have slowly managed to steady the ship. They have not lost in their previous six league matches but to be honest they have not faced too many big sides in the previous few weeks.
The Leicester City vs Arsenal game will be the first big test for Mikel Arteta and his boys after the Spurs game but the North London side could be without a few key players this Saturday.
The Foxes have lost their previous two league matches but if Arsenal are without players like Ben White and Odegaard then Arteta might very well have to change his tactics and maybe his formation.
Leicester City vs Arsenal: Gunners injuries and selection doubts
Kieran Tierney has been on the sidelines for some time with a knee injury and in midweek, even Martin Odegaard has joined that list.
Speaking after the Leeds United game, Mikel Arteta has confirmed that the pair are recovering from injuries meaning they are doubts for the Leicester City vs Arsenal clash.
“They were both out with two different injuries,” Arteta said. “They tried yesterday but they didn’t feel great, they wanted to be involved but they didn’t feel good enough to be selected today and hopefully in the next few days they can feel better and be available for Leicester.”
Another big-name player who could be watching from the stands is Ben White as the player could only play 55 minutes in the Carabao Cup and had to be replaced by Calum Chambers.
View this post on Instagram
“No, there is a bug going on,” Arteta said after the match, when asked if Ben White was injured.
“We lost Pablo today as he wasn’t feeling great and Ben had it as well in the last day or two. He wasn’t feeling great, so we decided to take him off.”
Ben White is the major concern for the manager going into the Leicester City vs Arsenal game but since it’s a viral bug, the defender should be fit by the weekend.
But will he fit enough to start, that we’ll have to wait and see?
Martin Odegaard’s absence will not be too big a headache though since Emile Smith Rowe is more than capable of playing in the attacking midfielder’s role.
Leicester City vs Arsenal: Will Arteta opt for a change in formation?
Usually, the Arsenal manager has played with a 4-2-3-1 formation but on occasions, he’s shifted to a 4-1-4-1.
Granit Xhaka is already on the sidelines with a knee injury and if Odegaard is not fit by Saturday then there’s a slight chance that Arteta could use a 4-1-4-1 system with Thomas Partey as the lone defensive midfielder.
This will undoubtedly be a gamble against a team like Leicester City but this system will give Arsenal more weight in the attacking third and at the same time, they can also pack up the middle of the pitch if needed.
