Arsenal handed massive fitness boost ahead of Leicester

Arsenal are the in-form team, not just in the Premier League but in all of Europe, having collected 25 points from the last 30 available and recorded a goal difference of +16 during that time.

Only Manchester City, who won at the Emirates during that spell, can match them for points after the Gunners kept their run going with a 3-2 victory over Watford last time out.

With improvements across the board during that period, including the team’s greater dominance in matches and the fine-tuning of the 4-3-3, Arsenal are now well placed to continued pushing for the top four places, which they currently reside in.

One of the toughest weeks of the entire season awaits, however.

Arsenal handed massive boost ahead of Leicester Premier League clash on Sunday with Jamie Vardy ruled out with injury for Brendan Rodgers’ side

First facing Leicester at the Emirates on Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s side then host title-chasing Liverpool just three days later, before traveling north to Aston Villa just 64 hours after that for a lunchtime kick-off.

The aim is to solely focus on tackling one game at a time, and with the Foxes first up on the fixture list, the Gunners have been handed a huge and welcome boost, as confirmed by Brendan Rodgers.

"“Vards [Jamie Vardy] will be out,” Rodgers told the official Leicester website. “He unfortunately got injured in the last game so is going to be out for a few weeks, which is a shame. He just got a knock towards his knee, but hopefully in the next three to four weeks, he responds okay.“He felt a soreness on it after the game the other day. It’s very frustrating for both [the Club and the player]. For him in particular, having been out, working so hard to get back, you can see the difference he makes to the team.“Of course, for us as coaches and managers and players, it’s frustrating because you miss that level of player. Hopefully he can get back, get fit again, and we’ll see how is in a few weeks.”"

While the former England striker may have only ended up on the winning side in four of his 14 matches against Arsenal, he’s found the back of the net on 11 occasions during that time. He loves playing against Arsenal.

A constant thorn in the backside, Vardy’s penchant for scoring against top six sides, and Arsenal in particular, is always the great worry when facing Leicester. As much as Arteta’s side have enough themselves to win – and a defence far more equipped to handle the striker as seen earlier in the season – him being confirmed as unavailable is nonetheless hugely welcome.

Even Aaron Ramsdale, who fears nobody, listed Vardy as the toughest opponent he’s come up against in his career. The 35-year-old also has four goals in five outings against the Arsenal number one.

Patson Daka is a handful, no doubt, but if there was any one player you’d choose not to have available for Leicester on the weekend, it could only be their No. 9.