Arsenal open their Premier League season with a match against Leicester City on Friday at Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners go into the game having won the Community Shield at Wembley and will be in a confident mood even if there are a number of injury doubts for the clash.
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Last season's fifth-placed finish means Arsene Wenger's side are without Champions League football for the upcoming campaign and they will be determined to right the wrongs of the previous 18 months by mounting a credible title challenge.
ARSENAL INJURIES
Alexis Sanchez will miss the next two league matches with an abdominal strain while Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Per Mertesacker are expected to be fit after training on Thursday.
“Sanchez will not be available," Wenger told reporters in a press conference on Wednesday.
"He had a little abdominal strain that he caught on Sunday morning in training. He had the scan two days ago. He’s out for I don’t know how long.”
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Francis Coquelin is ruled out for two weeks while long-term absentees Gabriel and Santi Cazorla are still weeks away from returning to first team action.
Wantaway striker Lucas Perez is unlikely to be involved after handing in a formal transfer request as he seeks a departure from north London.
ARSENAL SUSPENSIONS
Laurent Koscielny misses out through suspension after receiving a red card against Everton towards the end of last season.
ARSENAL POTENTIAL STARTING LINE-UP
A host of injury worries means that Wenger could be without several key players on Friday.
Alexis out of Arsenal's PL opener
However, those absences mean that Theo Walcott and Alex Iwobi are likely to feature in the attack with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain another option for either flank.
Alexandre Lacazette looks certain to make his Premier League debut, as does fellow summer signing Sead Kolasinac, who scored on his competitive debut against Chelsea in their Community Shield victory.
The central midfield partnership of Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny looks set to continue as Ramsey remains a doubt for the season opener in north London.
LEICESTER CITY TEAM NEWS
Leicester boss Craig Shakespeare has several selection decisions to consider on Friday night with new signings Kelechi Iheanacho, Harry Maguire, Vicente Iborra and Eldin Jakupovic all in contention to start.
Riyad Mahrez, who has been linked with Arsenal and Roma, wants to leave the Foxes but Shakespeare says he won’t be allowed to go “until we get a reasonable offer.”
“We don’t want to be a selling club, we want to be a buying club,” Shakespeare said in his press conference ahead of the Arsenal game.
“We know he [Mahrez] wants to leave, but until we get a reasonable offer then he stays. He remains focused.
“What I’ve seen is a focus from him and a professionalism from him.
“Danny Drinkwater? Mahrez is different from Drinkwater, because he came out and said he wanted to leave. I’m not speculating on every player.”
Shakespeare’s side impressed in their final pre-season match against Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday with Jamie Vardy scoring a brace in the 2-1 victory.
Chelsea target Danny Drinkwater and defender Robert Huth both miss out through injury.
BEST OPTA MATCH FACTS
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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.
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The Gunners have won only one of their last seven opening day Premier League fixtures, losing three of the last four (W1 D3 L3).
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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).
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Alexandre Lacazette scored 91 goals in the French Ligue 1 over the last four seasonsl more than any other player in the competition in that period.
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This game will see the English top-flight season begin on a Friday for the first time in its 129 year history.
TV COVERAGE & KICK-OFF TIME
The match is being televised live on Sky Sports in the UK and kicks off at 19:45 BST.
