Leicester vs Arsenal preview: Gunners need confidence, says Unai Emery

Unai Emery admits Arsenal need to rediscover their confidence as they prepare to face Leicester on Super Sunday.

After two defeats on the bounce - in which Arsenal have conceded six goals - the Gunners face a top-four battle with Manchester United and Chelsea heading into the end of the season.

"The first idea for us is to recover our confidence," said Emery.

"Each minute, hour, day and week we are working and training for a big performance to take the three points.

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"I think it is very important to be together. To help our connection with our supporters we have to do all we can in training and in the matches.

"Sunday is a good time to show our spirit and our wish to win the three points against Leicester."

Leicester Brendan Rodgers praised his opposite number ahead of the match, but made it clear that his side will set out to get a result against Arsenal.

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"We're looking forward to bringing our own intensity into the game and making it really difficult for Arsenal," Rodgers said of the clash at The King Power.

"I think Unai's done an excellent job there with his team. At the end of the season the games come thick and fast and we have to maximise our possibilities."

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Team news

Leicester's Daniel Amartey (leg) remains sidelined, but Rodgers' side have no fresh injury concerns.

Emery says that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should be fit for the Leicester City match.

The striker missed Wednesday's 3-1 defeat at Wolves following a sinus procedure and Unai Emery will see how he trains on the eve of the game before deciding whether he is in contention to feature at the King Power Stadium.

Denis Suarez (groin) will also be assessed while Aaron Ramsey (hamstring) and long-term absentees Danny Welbeck (ankle), Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding (both knee) are out.

Opta stats

• Leicester have won just one of their last 24 Premier League meetings with Arsenal (D7 L16), though it was in this exact fixture last season (3-1).
• Arsenal haven't lost consecutive away league games against Leicester since November 1983.
• After a run of four consecutive Premier League victories, Leicester are winless in their last two under Brendan Rodgers (D1 L1).
• Leicester have lost eight Premier League home games this season. They've only lost more in a single campaign in the competition in 1994-95 (10) and 2001-02 (9).
• Arsenal have lost their last two Premier League games on a Sunday, last losing three such games in a row back in March 2013.
• Arsenal have never lost a Premier League game that has kicked off at 12 noon, winning 15 and drawing four. Their last such match was a 5-1 win at Fulham earlier this season.
• Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers hasn't lost consecutive home league games at any of his clubs since September 2012, losing vs Arsenal and Manchester United at Anfield as Liverpool boss.
• Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has won just two of his nine Premier League meetings with Arsenal (D3 L4), beating them with Swansea in January 2012 and Liverpool in March 2014. Just two managers have won as many as three Premier League games against the Gunners with each victory coming while in charge of a different club (Chris Hughton and Roy Hodgson).
• Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored three goals in his two league games against Leicester, averaging a goal every 40 minutes against the Foxes.
• Leicester striker Jamie Vardy has scored six goals in his last seven Premier League games against Arsenal - only against Liverpool (7) has he scored more in the competition than he has against the Gunners (6).

Merson's prediction

I just don't know with Arsenal. They go to Napoli, keep a clean sheet against the second-best team in Italy, and then let in six goals in two league games. You're watching it and thinking what's changed? It's so up and down.

Sometimes you look at it and think the manager does an unbelievable job to get them where they are, but then you look at him playing [Mesut] Ozil and [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan in midfield for Wolves away, which he did at Everton too where they never looked like winning, but the penny didn't drop.

I've got to go for Leicester though. [Jamie] Vardy will be too much for the Arsenal defence, they've got pace. Look at Leicester since Brendan has gone there, they find it hard to break teams down. But when teams like Arsenal come in who are going to have a go, they're a dangerous animal. Very dangerous. Arsenal have half an eye on next Thursday as well which doesn't help.

PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1

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