Albrighton Looking Forward To Arsenal Challenge
- Leicester City face Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday (4:30pm GMT kick-off)
- The Foxes go into the clash after securing five wins from their last six games in all formats
- Marc Abrighton, scorer of a stunner against Rennes on Thursday, has previewed the encounter
- He believes City can go into the fixture with confidence after a series of positive results
On the back of five wins in six matches in all competitions, including the 2-0 success over Rennes in the UEFA Europa Conference League Round of 16 first leg on Thursday, the Foxes are riding a wave of optimism at the moment. The Gunners, though, are enjoying their 2021/22 campaign.
Mikel Arteta's men are challenging for a place in the Premier League's top four and have won their last four league outings. With games in hand on the sides around them, it's looking good for the north London outfit, who haven't qualified for the UEFA Champions League since 2016/17.
"They’ve had a really good season and they’ve really tightened up at the back," Albrighton told LCFC TV. "They’ve got some good quality young players going forward. It’s going to be a difficult game, but one we’re looking forward to and it’s a great opportunity for ourselves.
"I obviously watch a lot of Premier League football and you can see how well they’re doing. They’ve got some good young English talent, which is great for the England and Arsenal themselves. They seem full of confidence at the moment so it’ll be tough but we look forward to the challenge."
Focusing on Leicester's recent fortunes, however, Albrighton believes there is still room for improvement for the Foxes. With five wins in their last six games, Sunday's trip to Emirates Stadium comes between home and away legs against Rennes in European competition.
"It's always difficult," the 32-year-old added. "We’ve got players in the squad who have played Championship football before, or they’ve been on loan, so they know what it’s like to play two games a week. It’s something that we’re coping well with.
"We’ve played Manchester City and Liverpool in three days and we managed to get a good result on the second occasion there. It’s something we are learning to deal with and I think we’re doing well.
"We’ve really come together over the last few weeks. We’ve really showed a fantastic spirit and courage, especially without the ball. There’s still improvements to be made with the ball. We’re well aware of that. We’re nowhere near ourselves with the ball yet, but it’s something we’re working on.
Albrighton & Iheanacho Open Up UECL Lead
A stunner from Marc Albrighton and Kelechi Iheanacho's late strike give Leicester City a 2-0 advantage over Rennes the UEFA Europa Conference League.
"With the little time we do get on the training field between games, we are working hard on that. It’s our spirit without the ball which is getting us through at the moment and, if we can win games with that, then we’ll obviously continue to do so."
City left the capital with a 1-0 win last season - a first away success over Arsenal since 1973 - and Albrighton feels that can provide confidence. The former Aston Villa wideman also reflected on his magnificent goal against Rennes at King Power Stadium on Thursday.
"It obviously gives us a little bit more confidence going there," he continued. "It’s going to be a totally different game and we’ve got to show the spirit that we have been lately and, if we do, we should be fine.
"It’s a goal that I caught nice, it came off the sweet spot of the foot and it went into the top corner, so it was certainly a goal that’d make it into my top five. I’ve only scored about five! It’s great to get a goal and I’m enjoying playing and obviously winning games as well, so it’s fantastic."