Arsenal are set to face Leicester City in the Premier League this weekend after returning to the top of the Premier League table last weekend. The Gunners came from behind twice to end up winning 4-2 against Aston Villa at Villa Park as Manchester City dropped points against Nottingham Forest.
Mikel Arteta has offered a positive update on both Thomas Partey and Gabriel Jesus ahead of the trip to the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The former has not been available for the last two fixtures but Arteta revealed that the Ghanaian midfielder could be involved in his matchday squad.
Bukayo Saka looks set to become the latest player to commit their long-term future to the club after an agreement in principle had been reached for him to stay at the Emirates Stadium until 2028, football.london understands. Arteta hinted that he wants the club to continue tying down Arsenal's best talents to long-term deals as he continues his promising project with the Gunners.
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Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson believes the Gunners will be caused problems by the Foxes but still expects the Premier League leaders to win. Merson told SportsKeeda: "Arsenal will win this game.
"I thought Leicester City were unlucky the other day against Manchester United. They could have been 2-0 up before Manchester United started scoring.
"Leicester will cause problems for Arsenal this weekend. If they hadn't missed a couple of big chances and De Gea didn't make those massive saves, Leicester could have got a result at Old Trafford last Sunday.
"Meanwhile, this could be a defining game for Arsenal. Manchester City, I think, will definitely beat Bournemouth.
"If Arsenal win here and then beat Everton in midweek, which is their game in hand, they will go five points clear at the top again. Arsenal have a relatively easy set of fixtures coming up and if City falter in any of these upcoming game weeks, the Gunners could well be on their way to winning the title.
"Arsenal are the team to watch right now. Arteta's side seems to get a little nervous on occasion and they're a bit caught in between wanting to be defensively solid and going all-out in attack.
"They should ideally score the first goal and if they do that, they'll play their best football for the rest of the game. But they haven't been doing that much in recent games and that's what has led to them being shaky at the back because the nerves are starting to show. I expect Arsenal to come out on top in an entertaining game."
Paul Merson prediction: Leicester City 2-3 Arsenal
Chris Sutton has agreed with Merson that Arsenal will win the game but in a more convincing fashion than the 4-2 victory against Aston Villa last weekend. Sutton told BBC Sport: "Leicester are in a relegation scrap, which is hard to understand when you consider the attacking talent they have got.
"The Foxes' issue is that they are so brittle at the back, which is why I think there will be goals in this game and also why I am going to back Arsenal to win it. I want to see a title race and I loved the way the Gunners found a way of getting the three points against Villa last week after trailing twice.
"They really showed their mettle, and it must have been a huge boost to their confidence. Now they have to back it up with another win here, but I do feel their trip to King Power Stadium will be more straightforward. They will have plenty of chances, because their forwards will be able to get at the Foxes' backline."
Chris Sutton's prediction: Leicester City 1-3 Arsenal
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