Leicester City vs Arsenal: Team news, where to watch, referee & VAR

Leicester City take on Arsenal at the King Power Stadium at 12:30pm on Saturday, in a fixture of great importance at both ends of the Premier League table.

The hosts could move out of the relegation zone with a victory, although it will be a very difficult task to stop a visiting side who are on course to challenge for the Premier League title.

Should the Gunners pick up all three points, they will keep the pressure on league-leaders Liverpool as we enter a crucial stage of the season.

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1 ByRoss Kilvington Leicester vs Arsenal team news

LeicesterCity's Bobby Decordova-Reid celebrates scoring their first goal with Wout Faes

Leicester City

The trio of Jamie Vardy, Victor Kristiansen and Jannik Vestergaard were not involved in the 2-1 defeat against Manchester United in the FA Cup last time out, but their issues are not thought to be serious, so they could be in line to return this weekend.

Issahaku Fatawu is set to be sidelined for quite some time due to an ACL injury, while Ricardo Pereira is not expected to return anytime soon either, although Ruud van Nistelrooy has confirmed the right-back is now taking part in individual training.

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta will have to make do without Bukayo Saka once again, with the manager stating the right-winger will not be back before March, while on the opposite flank Gabriel Martinelli is set to miss out due to a hamstring issue.

Elsewhere, Gabriel Jesus will remain sidelined for the long term due to an ACL injury, while Ben White has been out of action since November and is not expected to return just yet and Kai Havertz is the latest player in the treatment room after suffering a hamstring injury in Dubai.

Where to watch Leicester City vs Arsenal on TV

Leicester City v Fulham -KingPowerStadium

Viewers in the United Kingdom will be able to watch the game live on TNT Sports 1, with kick-off scheduled for 12:30pm (GMT).

In the USA, the match will be streamed on NBC Sports, while Canadian viewers can tune in on fuboTV.

Leicester City vs Arsenal referee & VAR

Sam Barrott will be the man in charge of Saturday’s fixture. Tim Wood and Wade Smith are the assistant referees and Oliver Langford the fourth official. Paul Tierney has been selected for VAR, with Natalie Aspinall as assistant VAR.

The Gunners will be hoping to make it five wins out of five with Barrott as their referee.

Games

6

4

Record

2W, 3D, 1L

4W, 0D, 0L

Cards received

9 Yellow, 0 Red

4 Yellow, 0 Red

Cards to opponents

8 Yellow, 0 Red

10 Yellow, 0 Red

Penalties for/against

1/1

0/0

Leicester City vs Arsenal form Leicester City

LeicesterCitymanager Ruud van Nistelrooy and James Justin

There has been little respite for Van Nistelrooy since the Dutchman took the reins at the King Power Stadium, with his side losing four of their five Premier League matches since the turn of the year.

A 2-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur is one of the only causes for optimism, but since then the Foxes have lost their last two games on the bounce in all competitions, succumbing to a 2-1 defeat at Manchester United in the FA Cup last time out.

Date

Opponent

Competition

Result

Fri 7th Feb

Man Utd (a)

FA Cup

L 2-1

Sat 1st Feb

Everton (a)

Premier League

L 4-0

Sun 26th Jan

Tottenham (a)

Premier League

W 2-1

Sat 18th Jan

Fulham (h)

Premier League

L 0-2

Wed 15th Jan

Crystal Palace (h)

Premier League

L 0-2

Arsenal

Arsenal manager MikelArtetalooksdejected

The Gunners missed out on a trip to Wembley in their last match, succumbing 2-0 to Newcastle United at St. James’ Park and exiting the EFL Cup at the semi-final stage, but they remain in very good form in the Premier League.

Arteta’s side are undefeated in league action since November, most recently making a real statement by defeating reigning champions Manchester City 5-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

Date

Opponent

Competition

Result

Wed 5th Feb

Newcastle (a)

EFL Cup

L 2-0

Sun 2nd Feb

Man City (h)

Premier League

W 5-1

Wed 29th Jan

Girona (a)

Champions League

W 1-2

Sat 25th Jan

Wolves (a)

Premier League

W 0-1

Wed 22nd Jan

Dinamo Zagreb (h)

Premier League

W 3-0

Leicester City vs Arsenal head-to-head

Arsenal's Kai Havertz celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Declan Rice

Saturday’s fixture will be the 152nd meeting between the two sides, and Arsenal hold a very strong record against Saturday’s hosts, having won the last six matches on the spin.

The Gunners were made to work hard for their victory in the reverse fixture earlier this season, however, relying on two stoppage-time goals to secure a 4-2 win back in September.

Leicester City wins

33

Draws

45

Arsenal wins

73