Arsenal vs Leicester: Team news, kick-off time, probable line-ups, odds and stats for the Premier League clash

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Ahead of the opening weekend of Premier League action, Sportsmail will be providing you with all you need to know about every fixture, with team news, provisional squads, betting odds and Opta stats. Here is all the information you need for Arsenal's home clash with Leicester.

Arsenal vs Leicester (Emirates)

Granit Xhaka and Nacho Monreal are both fit to face Leicester on Friday night at the Emirates

Arsenal 

Team news

Arsenal will be without their injured forward Alexis Sanchez for the opening Premier League game against Leicester on Friday night.

The Chile international suffered an abdominal injury in training and could miss two weeks, while defender Laurent Koscielny is suspended for the visit of the Foxes.

Manager Arsene Wenger has several injury doubts as Mesut Ozil (ankle), Aaron Ramsey (muscular), Per Mertesacker (facial) and Jack Wilshere (leg) could all be absent while Gabriel (knee), Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin (both ankle) are definitely sidelined.

Provisional squad: Cech, Martinez, Macey, Bellerin, Holding, Gabriel, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Gibbs, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin, Xhaka, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Walcott, Iwobi, Sanchez, Welbeck, Giroud.

Leicester 

Team news 

An injury to summer signing Vicente Iborra will prevent him from making his Leicester debut against Arsenal on Friday night.

The Spanish midfielder, a £12.75million arrival from Sevilla, sustained a groin problem in training this week and the club are waiting for the results of scans to determine the length of his absence. His absence is a blow with Danny Drinkwater (thigh) also out.

Fellow new recruit Kelechi Iheanacho has recovered from the toe injury he suffered against Borussia Monchengladbach last week and is available to make his debut along with Harry Maguire, with Robert Huth recovering from ankle surgery. 

Provisional squad: Schmeichel, Hamer, Zieler, Simpson, Huth, Wasilewski, Benalouane, Chilwell, Fuchs, Drinkwater, King, Amartey, Ndidi, Gray, Mahrez, Kapustka, Albrighton, Musa, Ulloa, Vardy, Okazaki.

Leicester have provided Jamie Vardy with added competition after signing Kelechi Iheanacho

Key match stats (provided by Opta) 

Leicester are on a 21-game winless run against Arsenal in the Premier League (D7 L14), with their only win against the Gunners coming in their first ever Premier League encounter in November 1994 (a 2-1 victory).

Arsenal have won each of their last 10 Premier League home encounters with Leicester City; their joint longest winning streak at home against a single opponent.

Jamie Vardy has scored Leicester City's last three goals against Arsenal in the Premier League, scoring the opening goal twice. However, he is yet to end up on the winning side.

The Gunners have won only one of their last seven opening day Premier League fixtures, losing three of the last four (W1 D3 L3).

Arsenal have collected more opening day red cards than any other Premier League side (6), with Laurent Koscielny getting two of the last three (2010-11 v Liverpool, 2013-14 v Aston Villa).

Arsenal haven't lost three consecutive opening day fixtures since 1960.

Leicester have won just one of their last eight Premier League games to start the season (4-2 over Sunderland in 2015, D4 L3).

Arsenal have never lost a Premier League game contested on a Friday (W6 D1) while Leicester have never won one on this weekday (D1 L2).

Leicester new boy Vicente Iborra will not make his debut for the Foxes on Friday due to injury

Alexandre Lacazette scored 91 goals in the French Ligue 1 over the last four seasons; more than any other player in the competition in that period.

Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez was the only player to reach double figures for both goals (24) and assists (10) in the Premier League last season.

Excluding penalties, Alexis Sanchez recorded an xG (expected goals) total in the 2016-17 Premier League season of 15.2; the most for Arsenal. Based on the quality of his chances, the average player would have scored 15 times but he outperformed this by netting 22 non-penalty goals.

In comparison, Alexander Lacazette scored 18 non-penalty goals in Ligue 1 for Lyon last season, outperforming his non-penalty xG total of 12.6. He netted 10 penalties last season; more than any other Ligue 1 player.

Alexis Sanchez was involved in the build up sequence of 38 Premier League open-play goals last season; more than any other player in the competition.

This game will see the English top-flight season begin on a Friday for the first time in its 129 year history.

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