No New Injuries For Arsenal Test, Says Rodgers
- Manager Brendan Rodgers spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon
- Leicester City have no new fitness issues ahead of the trip to Arsenal on Saturday
- Ricardo Pereira (Achilles), Harvey Barnes (knee) and Ryan Bertrand (knee) remain out
- The Northern Irishman also commented on how the heat could be a factor this weekend
Ricardo Pereira (Achilles), Harvey Barnes (knee) and Ryan Bertrand (knee) are the only absentees ahead of that Saturday clash at Emirates Stadium (3pm BST kick-off). The Foxes started their 2022/23 season with a 2-2 home draw with Brentford, while Arsenal won at Crystal Palace.
"There's nothing new," Rodgers told the media on Thursday, providing an update on the fitness of his squad. "Everyone (expected to be available) is okay to be in the squad."
Ricardo and Barnes sustained their issues earlier this month, in a pre-season friendly against Sevilla. While Ricardo is expected to be out for up to six months, Barnes will return much sooner. Rodgers said this week, though, that there's no exact timeline on the recovery of City's No.7.
"There's nothing specific," the Northern Irishman explained. "He’s been with the medical team. He still has an irritation around the knee, but I don’t have an exact time on that."
As the United Kingdom bakes in another heatwave, naturally the plus-30 degree heat could play a role in north London on Saturday. Rodgers, meanwhile, has been pleased with the players' work in Seagrave in preparation for the test against Mikel Arteta's Gunners.
"The importance of looking after the ball is very important," he added. "We’ve been training in it. The players have worked so well this week. Over the course of 90 minutes, it does have an impact. You’ve got to deal with these things when they arrive."