Recap- Leicester 2-6 Arsenal:

The last fixture between Arsenal and Leicester came earlier in the season at the King Power Stadium, where Arsenal produced an iconic comeback, scoring six goals in the second half to overcome Leicester’s two nil lead.

The goals conceded by Arsenal in the first half were poor. The first goal, scored from a corner set piece, came as a result of poor marking at the post, allowing a header to be nodded in easily. The second came by getting in behind the backline and pulling the ball across into the box to be tapped in.

Arsenal’s dominant second half performance saw them score six goals, more than completing the comeback. Capitalising on mistakes from the backline, creating space for runners and getting in behind the backline, as well as effective counter attacking allowed Arsenal to play Leicester off the park. Victoria Pelova shone in midfield, creating space and playing pinpoint passes, achieving player of the match for her efforts.

As well as taking the learning points from this game into consideration, Arsenal must also look at the seasons both they and Leicester have had since this match occurred.

Leicester’s recent results:

Leicester City find themselves 9th in the WSL table, struggling in the league with their last league win coming against Bristol City on the 18th February. In the FA cup, however, Leicester have impressed, narrowly missing out on the chance to get in the final after a late goal allowed Spurs a 2-1 victory. We saw from their performance in the first half of their game against Arsenal earlier in the season that Leicester can be a threat, so they’re definitely not a team to write off.

Arsenal’s potential line-up:

Arsenal will look to continue in the confident form they displayed in the game against Bristol, and with the league they’re only focus, we expect a similar line-up in this game. Jonas Eidevall has strong options on his bench - Cloe Lacasse and Katie McCabe both may feature in the starting line-up, as well as Manu Zinsberger, who may get the nod in the starting XI despite Sabrina D’Angelo’s strong performance.

How will the game play out?

Arsenal have been extremely unpredictable this season, producing results when we least expect it and losing games they were expected to win. Based on recent games you would expect Arsenal to get the win here, yet it’s unlikely to be as high a scoreline. 

The toughest battle for Arsenal will be keeping a clean sheet, something they’ve struggled with this season and Leicester are likely to create attacking opportunities. 

Arsenal should play with the same intensity and confidence they played with against Bristol City, hoping that playing at the Emirates will also benefit their performance.

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