Foxes will take it in their stride
WE LEARNT LESSONS FROM ARSENAL DEFEAT Leicester have not beaten the Gunners in the last 22 years.
Jamie Vardy is adamant Leicester City remain unfazed by the mounting pressure of the Premier League title race as the shock leaders prepare for a summit meeting with Arsenal tomorrow.
For the first time this season, Claudio Ranieri’s side find themselves the bookmakers’ favourites to be crowned champions after their fairytale rise reached a new high with last weekend’s stunning 3-1 win at title rivals Manchester City.
The Foxes sit five points clear of second-placed Tottenham Hotspur and third-placed Arsenal with just 13 games remaining and the previously unthinkable prospect of the unfashionable outfit winning a first ever top-fl ight title is now a genuine possibility.
But the task of successfully completing an unexpected title bid proved too much for Liverpool in the closing weeks of the 2013/14 season and many pundits still believe Leicester’s unheralded players, who only last year were fighting to avoid relegation, will crumble in similar style.
However, England striker Vardy, whose 18 goals and effervescent displays have been the driving force behind Leicester’s surge to the top, insists there are no signs of any nerves in the camp ahead of this weekend’s crucial clash with the Gunners in north London.
“We’re enjoying the ride,” Vardy said. “If you start thinking about it too much it’s going to affect you, it’s as simple as that.”
Arsene Wenger’s team pounded Leicester in a 5-2 victory in September and extended their 22-year unbeaten league record against the Foxes to 18 matches.
But Vardy is confident Leicester, steeled by their recent triumphs at City and Tottenham, have learnt their lessons and will provide more obdurate opposition for Arsenal this time around.
“No doubt it will be tough against Arsenal, we know the players they’ve got are world class but although we lost 5-2 when we played them last time we did show that we can hurt them,” Vardy said.
Just hours after the final whistle at the Emirates Stadium, attention will turn north to the Etihad, where City host Tottenham in the other fi xture with major implications for the title race.
Buoyed by four successive league wins, Mauricio Pochettino’s team harbour hopes of a first English league title since their famous League and FA Cup double triumph of 1961.
Tottenham have made a habit of failing to fulfi l their potential whenever they have started to look like title contenders in the past, but Pochettino, who took charge last season, sees far more resilience in the current squad.
“I think we are different people now,” Pochettino said.
“It’s difficult to explain but today we live in the present and everyone at the club believes we can win every game.”
Fifth-placed Manchester United are six points behind before heading to second-bottom Sunderland.
But, after the frustration of conceding a late equaliser in the draw against Chelsea last weekend, United manager Louis van Gaal desperately needs a victory to keep his team’s European hopes alive.
Liverpool, dumped out of the FA Cup by West Ham United in midweek, could also do with a morale-boosting win when they face bottom side Aston Villa. – AFP
Bournemouth v Stoke, Chelsea v Newcastle, Crystal Palace v Watford, Everton v West Brom, Norwich v West Ham, Sunderland v Manchester United, Swansea v Southampton
Arsenal v Leicester, Aston Villa v Liverpool, Manchester City v Tottenham