Shakespeare hopes his Leicester side can rewrite script by ending Gunners hoodoo

Craig Shakespeare hopes Leicester can end their Arsenal hoodoo tonight.

Leicester have yet to beat the Gunners in the Premier League era with their last league win coming in 1983, while it is a decade further back since the Foxes last won away at Arsenal.

The two clubs get the new season under way at the Emirates this evening and Shakespeare, beginning his first full campaign as manager, is under no illusions of the size of the task facing his team. “The Premier League is the most competitive league in the world and Arsenal are one of the best clubs in it, year after year they’ve shown their consistency,” said Shakespeare.

“Wehaven’tbeenabletobeat them yet but there’s always a first time and it would be nice to think it would be Friday night. The players are champing at the bit to get started.”

Shakespeare believes Arsenal will be title challengers this season but ultimately thinks Manchester City will have too much for the rest of the league.

“Arsenal have always been dangerous. They’re the FA Cup winners and Community Shield winners and they’ve got tremendous strength in depth so they’ll always be up there,” said Shakespeare.

“I watched them in the Community Shield [and they have made] good additions to the quality they already have there. They will be there or thereabouts again. If you look at the top six from last season, it will be hard to break into that. But I think my choice [for the title] is Man City. Pep [Guardiola] has had another year, he’s bought wisely and I think offensively they will be very hard to stop.” Midfielder Riyad Mahrez is expected to start for Leicester tonight despite expressing his desire to leave the club at the end of last season.

Kelechi Iheanacho is fit and could make his Leicester debut along with Harry Maguire, but fellow summer signing Vicente Iborra (groin) is injured. Danny Drinkwater (thigh) and Robert Huth (ankle) are also out.