Arsenal v Leicester preview: Mesut Ozil fit for MNF clash

Arsenal are bidding to make it 10 wins on the bounce when they host Leicester City, live on Monday Night Football.

Unai Emery's side are in flying form, having won nine in a row in all competitions - a run that includes six consecutive league victories.

This run has taken the north Londoners to fourth in the Premier League and they sit just two points behind Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City at the top.

Past history reads favourably for the hosts as Arsenal have won each of last 11 home meetings against Leicester, whose last away win at Arsenal was a 2-0 victory in 1973. Should they win on Monday, 21 points would be Arsenal's highest haul after nine Premier League games since the 13/14 season.

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However, Leicester have made their best start to a Premier League season since winning the title in 2016, taking 12 points in their opening eight games.

Team news

Mesut Ozil has returned to full training following a back spasm while Danny Welbeck has also shrugged off a hamstring injury that ruled him out the international break with England.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos (ankle) and Petr Cech (hamstring) will both face late fitness tests ahead of Monday's encounter but centre-backs Laurent Koscielny and Konstantinos Mavropanos are still sidelined. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is back in contention for the first time since fracturing his leg against Manchester City.

Ben Chilwell has returned fit but Wes Morgan is suspended after his red card against Everton, while Demarai Gray (ankle) and Matty James (Achilles) are injured.

It was Morgan's second dismissal of the season after he was sent off against Bournemouth.

Opta stats

• Arsenal have never lost a home Premier League match against Leicester City (P12 W11 D1 L0), winning the last 11 in a row.
• In all competitions, Leicester are winless in their last 25 visits to Arsenal (P25 W0 D6 L19) since winning 2-0 in the top-flight in September 1973.
• Arsenal's 11-game home winning run in the top-flight against Leicester is their second best in their history - their best run is 13 in a row against Stoke City between 1983 and 2018.
• Arsenal are looking to win 10 consecutive games in all competitions for the sixth time in their history, and first since a run of 12 ending in October 2007.
• Leicester have won two of their last three Premier League away games - as many as they had in their previous 11 on the road (W2 D1 L8). However, the Foxes are winless in their last seven league games in London (D3 L4) since beating West Ham in March 2017.
• Arsenal have won more Premier League games (59) and points (200) in the month of October than any other side in the competition. The Gunners enjoy their best Premier League win rate in October than any other month (63%).
• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been directly involved in 19 goals in his 21 Premier League games for Arsenal (14 goals, 5 assists).
• Of players to have scored at least 10 Premier League goals for the club, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has the best minutes-per-goal ratio of any Arsenal player in the competition, averaging a goal every 118 minutes.
• Since his Premier League debut - against Arsenal in August 2014 - Leicester's Jamie Vardy has had a hand in 34 goals in 46 Premier League appearances against 'big six' opposition (27 goals, 7 assists).
• Leicester striker Jamie Vardy has scored six goals in six Premier League starts against Arsenal, including a brace at the Emirates on the opening day of the 2017-18 season.

Merson's predictions

Nine wins in a row is some going at any standard of football. The confidence must be really high at Arsenal. There have been games they shouldn't have won to be honest but they rode their luck and come through the other side.

The thing is Arsenal, with the forward line they have, will always score goals. I watched Leicester against Everton and I just can't see how Arsenal won't score goals. Everton caused them so many problems at the back.

Arsenal will let in goals, there's no getting away from that, but you'd expect them to get a few on Monday. If they get three against Leicester that will be enough.

PAUL PREDICTS: 3-1 (10/1 with Sky Bet)

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