Leicester and Arsenal meet in the third round of the EFL Cup. Mitchell Wright previews these two sides who have had strong starts to the new season with two wins out of two to open their Premier League campaigns.
Event Details:
Who is playing?
Leicester City vs Arsenal
What competition is it?
EFL Cup Third Round
What time is Leicester City vs Arsenal?
19:45 GMT, Wednesday 23rd September 2020
Which stadium is hosting Leicester City vs Arsenal?
King Power Stadium, Leicester, England
What channel is Leicester vs Arsenal on?
No UK Channels
Leicester City vs Arsenal Summary
This EFL Cup third round presents one of only two all top flight clashes as Leicester and Arsenal meet for the first time this season.
Leicester, after a shaky end to last season and eventually missing out on what seemed nearly guaranteed champions league football at Christmas, have kicked things off right with two strong opening games, scoring seven goals respectively. Following the departure of full back Chilwell to Chelsea, Leicester have brought in Timothy Castagne as a hopeful replacement from Champions League Quarter Finalists Atalanta.
North London Club Arsenal had a very strong end to the season, beating Chelsea to lift the FA Cup and have an identity under Arsenal fan favourite Arteta that has been scarce since the departure of Arsene Wenger.
Leicester City Team News and Form
Leicester come into the game off the back of two convincing wins against new boys West Brom on the opening day of the season with a 4-2 thumping of Burnley coming after. Furthermore, at thirty-three Vardy is still playing with the pace and hunger of someone half his age. The striker has two Premier League goals so far following his opening day brace against West Brom.
With the Departure of Ben Chilwell, Rodgers has looked to Atalanta’s Timothy Castagne to bolster up the back line. Following a debut goal, Castagne is off to a good start as life as a part of the Foxes. Castagne loves to get forward and will look to overlap constantly on the attack. Atalanta finished the last Serie A season as top scorers, with Castagne’s offensive threat on the wing being a major reason for their success.
Although defensively he can be sometimes rash and prone to diving in, it will be interesting to see how he adapts to life in a much faster, physical Premier League. On the injury list for Leicester are Benkovic, Morgan and Pereira.
Arsenal Team News and Form
Arteta could not have hoped for a better opening to the season with two wins against Fulham and West Ham. However, perhaps even better news is the contract extension of goal machine Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabonese talisman finished second in last season’s golden boot race with twenty-two goals, one behind Wednesdays opponents number nine Jamie Vardy.
Arsenal’s best bit of business in this transfer window so far seems to be Brazilian Centre half Gabriel. The Brazilian defender has soothed into life brilliantly as a Gunner, with a debut goal against Fulham and an excellent display against West Ham in match week two.
After years of mediocre signings in the Arsenal’s back line, could Gabriel finally be the answer to many Arsenal fans’ prayers? On the Injury list for Arsenal are Mustafi, Mari, Guendouzi, Ozil and Martinelli.
Head-to-Head
Leicester Last 5 Matches (All competitions)
- Burnley (H) 4-2 Premier League win
- West Brom (A) 0-3 Premier League win
- Blackburn Rovers (H) 1-1 Preseason draw
- Sheffield Wednesday (H) 0-0 Preseason draw
- Birmingham City (A) 0-2 Preseason win
Liverpool Last 5 Matches (All competitions)
- West Ham (H) 2-1 Premier League win
- Fulham (A) 0-3 Premier League win
- Liverpool (N) 1-1 (5-4) Community Shield win
- MK Dons (A) 1-4 Preseason win
- Chelsea (N) 2-1 FA Cup Final win
Source: FootyStats
Top Goalscorers
Leicester City Top Goalscorers:
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Jamie Vardy (23 Premier League goals last season) – Jamie Vardy took home last season’s golden boot following a fantastic campaign once again with Leicester. The 33-year-old still relies on his blistering pace and playing off the shoulder to get in behind the defence. Although some may not hold Jamie Vardy to the same standards of other historic Premier league strikers, the Englishmen now has 105 goals to his name. One more than Chelsea legend Didier Drogba (104) in forty-one fewer games. (213 Vs 254)
Arsenal Top Goalscorers:
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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (22 Premier League goals last season) – Similar in style to Jamie Vardy, Aubameyang utilises his blistering pace to get in behind a defence. Matched with his clinical finishing, he is a handful for any team in Europe. Aubameyang’s mix of athleticism and his soft touch and technique means he’s just as dangerous off the ball as on. He is perfectly happy to square up a defender and beat him off the dribble. Aubameyang proved as one of the few highlights for Arsenal in what was a somewhat bumpy season for the Gunners.
Source: Transfermarkt
Match Facts
- Both teams have began the season with a 100% winning record
- Brendan Rodgers and Mikel Arteta have only ever met once in their managerial careers with the game ending in a draw
- Leicester have won three league cups in their history, meanwhile Arsenal only two.
Source: WhoScored
Previous Meetings
| July 7th 2020 | ARS 1-1 LEI | Premier League |
| November 9th 2019 | LEI 2-0 ARS | Premier League |
| April 28th 2019 | LEI 3-0 ARS | Premier League |
| October 22nd 2018 | ARS 3-1 LEI | Premier League |
| May 9th 2018 | LEI 3-1 ARS | Premier League |
Mitchell’s Betting Tips
There have been over 1.5 goals in every one of the last five meetings. Get Over 1.5 goals at 3/10* with Mark Jarvis.
Two of the best goalscorers in Europe are coming head to head. Get BTTS Second Half at 2/1* with Mark Jarvis.
As said already these two teams have been reaping in the goals as of late. Get BTTS + Arsenal to win at 4/1* with Mark Jarvis.
*Odds as of time of writing (Tuesday 22nd September 2020) and subject to change
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