In the first match on a Sunday of what should be thrilling English Premier League action, Arsenal are hosting Leicester City in a battle with key title race implications. The Foxes aren’t in any risk of falling out of first place if they lose -- their five-point lead on Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur guarantee that for now -- but if Arsenal emerge triumphant, the pressure will again be on and things could heat up very quickly at the top of the table.
Arsenal vs. Leicester City 2016: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Arsenal host Leicester in a match heavy with title race implications, and they hope they’ll be able to repeat their commanding victory against the Foxes from early in the season.
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Arsenal demolished Leicester 5-2 when these two teams met in September, but that was then and this is now. The Gunners have been in much shakier form of late, dealing with squad-wracking injury woes that have left their midfield and defense depleted at various times, though they’re starting to get a bit healthier now. That combined with woefully inconsistent attacking form has seen Arsenal slip in the standings, while Leicester have been in or within touching distance of first place for months, currently enjoying a three-week run atop the table to go along with their three-match winning streak.
If Leicester can find a way to avenge that early-season loss, it gives them the potential to run out their lead even further from the pack, giving them the safety and security atop the table they’ve been craving since they first gained first place back in November. If Arsenal win, though, discussion of their woes will get thrown out the door, because they’ll be just two points and one very good day out of first place. Make no mistake: there’s plenty of time left in the season, but this match could and likely will prove to be very, very important when the points are tallied and the EPL title awarded at the end of the campaign.
Key player -- Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
Sanchez is Arsenal’s single most talented attacker and a huge matchup nightmare for Leicester. They don’t have anyone who can stand up to him one on one, and with Arsenal’s other attacking threats in mind, they can’t focus too much extra attention on Sanchez without risking opening themselves up to those other threats -- but not getting enough attention on Sanchez means that he could have a heyday. It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t kind of situation, and Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri has a major problem on his hands trying to find the best solution to the problem Sanchez represents.
Key matchup -- Nacho Monreal (Arsenal) vs. Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City)
For all the attention paid to the exploits of Jamie Vardy, and rightfully so, Mahrez has been every bit as impressive this season, if not more so. His dynamism on the right wing and ability to create goals both for his teammates and himself is top-notch, and he has been a huge, huge part of Leicester’s successes this season. If Monreal can keep him at bay, it will make Leicester’s attempts to build up play or hit on the counter much harder -- but Monreal struggled against Mahrez when they faced off earlier this year, and if he does the same again in this match with Leicester as a whole playing much better, that could spell doom.
Arsenal injuries and suspensions
Out: Tomas Rosicky, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere
Leicester City injuries and suspensions
Out: Jeffrey Schlupp, Matty James
Match Date/Time: Sunday, 7 a.m. ET, 12 p.m. local
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London, England
TV: NBCSN (U.S. - English), Telemundo (U.S. - Spanish), RDS 2, TSN 1, 3, 4 (Canada), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.)
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.)
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