The top two from last season’s Premier League face off on Saturday, but they’re not looking like top two finishers so far. Both Leicester City and Arsenal are struggling, and need a big win in the second game of the Premier League season.
Leicester City vs. Arsenal 2016 live stream: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Last year’s Premier League top two both need a win.
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Last season, while Leicester City was putting together the best underdog story in Premier League history, Arsenal was being Arsenal. In a vacuum, finishing second and above Tottenham Hotspur is a good season for the Gunners. But in a year where all of the other big clubs slipped up, their inability to capitalize hurt.
Arsenal’s first game of the campaign was a wild match that might go down as match of the season when it’s all said and done. Unfortunately for them, they were on the losing end of it. Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane went on a rampage at Emirates Stadium last week as Liverpool won 4-3.
Leicester’s opener might have been even worse, given the competition. The Foxes fell to a Hull City team that could barely field a starting XI with senior professional players. They’ll be desperate to redeem themselves against the Gunners.
The match will kick off at 12:30 p.m. ET. You can catch it on CNBC, or watch online here at NBC Sports Live.
Key player: Jamie Vardy
The biggest factor in Leicester’s defeat last week might have been Jamie Vardy’s finishing. The man who broke the record for most consecutive games with a goal last season couldn’t buy a goal against Hull, regularly missing great chances. Leicester need him to be clinical to beat teams like Arsenal.
Recent history
Even though Leicester beat Arsenal to the league title, the Gunners won both of their league meetings. The Gunners’ 5-2 win at the King Power Stadium in September looked like it might be the moment that slowed Leicester’s momentum. Instead, it was just a bump in the road. Arsenal won the return fixture 2-1 to keep their title chase alive, but Leicester eventually pulled away.
Leicester City injuries and suspensions
Out: None.
Arsenal injuries and suspensions
Out: Gabriel (ankle), Serge Gnabry (Olympics), Alex Iwobi (quad), Carl Jenkinson (knee), Per Mertesacker (knee), Aaron Ramsey (hamstring), Danny Welbeck (knee). In doubt: Laurent Koscielny (fitness), Olivier Giroud (fitness), Mesut Özil (fitness), Jack Wilshere (knee, fitness).
Match date/time: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. local
Venue: King Power Stadium, Leicester, England
TV: CNBC (U.S.), BT Sport 1 (U.K.), TSN5 (Canada)
Online: NBC Sports Live (U.S.), BT Sport (U.K.), TSN (Canada)
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