Arsenal will return to Premier League action on Saturday as they face Leicester City, aiming to keep the pressure on Manchester City at the top of the table.
Mikel Arteta’s side will be looking to continue their strong domestic form, having put five past Bolton Wanderers in a midweek EFL Cup clash, easing to a 5-1 victory.
For Leicester City, the task at hand is far different. Newly promoted under Steve Cooper after winning the 2023/24 Championship title, the Foxes have struggled to find their footing back in the top flight.
They currently sit 15th in the Premier League, winless in their first five games, though they have managed three draws.
While they haven’t been able to secure a victory, they’ve shown resilience, particularly in their opening fixture against Tottenham Hotspur, where a late equaliser from Jamie Vardy earned them a hard-fought 1-1 draw.
Vardy, the talismanic striker who has become synonymous with Leicester’s success, continues to lead from the front.
Despite being 37 years old, Vardy remains as potent as ever. His equaliser against Spurs was a reminder of his enduring quality, and his overall tally of two goals in five league games this season comes with a remarkable conversion rate of 67%, the highest in the division.
Vardy’s record speaks for itself. The club’s all-time top scorer, with 192 goals since joining Leicester in 2012, has averaged 0.41 goals per match over his career.
His accolades include Premier League Player of the Season and Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year in the historic 2015/16 campaign, where he famously scored in 11 consecutive Premier League games, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy’s long-standing record.
Vardy went on to win the Golden Boot in 2019/20 with 23 goals, further cementing his legacy as one of the league’s finest forwards.
Vardy’s history against Arsenal is also worth noting. He proved a significant thorn in the Gunners’ side during Leicester’s title-winning season, scoring three times across the two league meetings.
Although Arsenal emerged 1-0 victors the last time these teams met at the King Power Stadium in the 2022/23 season, Vardy has shown time and again that he can rise to the occasion against top opposition.
With Leicester struggling to adjust to life back in the Premier League, Vardy’s influence will be crucial if they are to pose a threat to Arsenal on Saturday. His goal-scoring prowess and experience could yet provide the Foxes with a much-needed spark as they seek their first win of the campaign.