- Wes Morgan believes Leicester City are in for a difficult challenge against Arsenal, but are eager to kick-off their Premier League season
- Craig Shakespeare’s men head to Emirates Stadium on Friday evening (7.45pm kick-off)
- Morgan says the summer break has helped him recover from back problem he sustained last term
After a testing pre-season schedule in which the Foxes contested seven fixtures, they begin their season in the capital against Sunday’s Community Shield winners.
Both sides head into the 2017/18 curtain-raiser on a high. While the Gunners beat Chelsea on penalties at Wembley on Sunday, City dispatched highly-rated Bundesliga outfit Borussia Mönchengladbach two days earlier.
“It’s been a long pre-season and it’s always tough,” said Morgan. “I don’t enjoy it but it’s a good feeling when you get through it because you’re fit and ready to go.
“You’ve got the season ahead to look forward to and everyone’s raring to go. We’ve got our first game this Friday coming and we can’t wait to get started.
“It was a tough game [against Mönchengladbach] and we feel like it’ll be like that against Arsenal – they keep the ball and had a lot of possession and worked the angles.
“They got the first goal so we had to dig deep and had to come back from a goal behind which is never easy, but it’s just good to show character and finish off with a win in pre-season.
“We’re a team that do a lot of defending and like to counter attack, so it’s good to get in your stride and get into the swing of things by knowing your positions, angles and distances.
“That’s important, especially in my position as a defender, but to get a win and a couple of goals as well.”
Morgan missed a number of games towards the end of the 2016/17 campaign due to a back problem, but says time off over the summer has paid dividends for his fitness.
He added: “I missed the last couple of months of the season with my back issue and it was hard to watch from the sideline.
“It was a good time for me in terms of getting a rest in because previously I didn’t get much rest in because of internationals and playing constantly for Leicester. To have that rest was important and I’ve come back into pre-season feeling good.
“I’ve been managed a little bit through the early stages but getting through it was the main thing. I’ve gotten stronger and stronger each week.
“Touch wood there won’t be a reoccurrence of the injury so I feel strong, ready to go and can’t wait to get started.”