Leicester City will have their work cut out if they are to take anything from this weekend’s Premier League clash away at Arsenal.
Steve Cooper is unlikely to have a squad brimming with confidence after Leicester City followed up a disappointing draw with Everton last weekend with a 0-0 draw with League Two Walsall in the Carabao Cup.
Those two results have seen Leicester supporters start to turn on Cooper but he knows he can help turn things around with a positive outcome against Arsenal.
The flip side of that is that if Leicester are on the receiving end of a hammering against title-contenders Arsenal then Cooper’s job could well start to be under threat.
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Therefore, if nothing else a battling performance is needed, especially after James Justin worryingly claimed that Leicester’s players were not ready for the battle they encountered against Everton last weekend.
Arsenal could be without David Raya against Leicester City
Cooper has almost a full squad to choose from for the trip to The Emirates, with Patson Daka and fourth-choice goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk the only absentees.
This is not the case for Arsenal, who will be without their captain Martin Odegaard, as well as Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mikel Merino.
Leandro Trossard is available after serving his one match bad for his red card against Manchester City as Arsenal beat Bolton Wanderers 5-1 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
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However, Mikel Arteta has now provided an injury update that could have a big say on the outcome of the game.
That is because the Arsenal manager admitted he is ‘unsure’ whether goalkeeper David Raya will return to fitness in time for Saturday’s match.
When asked if Raya would play, Arteta explained: “We don’t know yet. He’s got a muscular injury.”
Who will play in goal for Arsenal against Leicester City?
If Raya is unavailable then Arteta has a decision to make on who steps in against Leicester.
Arsenal saw fit to sanction the sale of second-choice goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to Leicester’s relegation rivals Southampton.
That deal was not confirmed until Arsenal had a replacement, though, and that was secured in the shape of a loan deal for Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto.
The 35-year-old is yet to make his Gunners debut and was cup-tied for Arsenal’s Carabao Cup win over Bolton, so 16-year-old Jack Porter played instead.
Given the inexperience of Porter, it is anticipated that Neto will come into the side should Raya not be declared fit to play and Jamie Vardy and co. will look to capitalise on a potentially nervous debutant.