Brendan Rodgers said Leicester City will have a tough task containing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Emile Smith Rowe during Saturday’s Premier League clash with Arsenal, while speaking to The Mercury.
Having conceded 15 goals in their first nine games of the new campaign – and with Yannik Vestergaard yet to rediscover the form that made him one of the division’s finest centre-halves at Southampton – you can probably expect action aplenty when Arsenal rock up at the King Power Stadium.
Lacazette is playing his best football in recent memory, Aubameyang looks refreshed, revitalised and ruthless in the final third while, in Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka, Mikel Arteta also has two of Europe’s most exciting young forwards at his disposal.
The long-awaited return of Jonny Evans from injury, then, could hardly have come at a better time as far as Rodgers is concerned.
Will Aubameyang and co fire Arsenal to victory at Leicester?
“The front four can give you a big problem, especially on the counter, with Aubameyang and his movement,” said Rodgers, who also used his pre-game press conference to bat away speculation linking him with Manchester United and Barcelona.
“Lacazette links the game really well. Smith Rowe I’m a huge fan of, his running ability, how he travels with the ball. Saka on the other side as well.
“They know what it means to play for Arsenal. They’ve got a lot of talented players.”
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last eight games, responding in some style to August’s humiliating 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City.
The London giants swept aside Aston Villa during their most recent Premier League fixture too with Smith Rowe, Aubameyang and Lacazette in scintillating form.
Gunners fans have seen their fair share of false dawns of late, however, and it feels too soon to suggest that a corner has been turned.
Remember, it is only a fortnight since Lacazette snatched a point at home to a Crystal Palace side who dominated for long spells at the Emirates.
A repeat of that performance tomorrow and it will be Leicester celebrating three welcome points.
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