Raheem Sterling will be keen to continue his goalscoring form in Arsenal’s next match against Leicester.
The winger opened his Gunners account in their 5-1 Carabao Cup victory over Bolton, and now has a chance to join a select group in their upcoming league fixture.
GettySterling poked home his first Arsenal goal as his side thrashed Bolton in the Carabao Cup[/caption]
Sterling has enjoyed encounters with Leicester in the past, having previously scored twice against the Foxes in a single match at both his parent club Chelsea, and at Manchester City.
And should the Blues loanee do the same for his new side, he will become just the fourth player to score multiple goals against the same Premier League opponent with three different clubs.
Currently, only former strikers Robbie Fowler, Darren Bent and Andy Cole have achieved this feat.
Fowler ran riot against Bolton in his career, with hat-tricks against them for Liverpool and Leeds, before bagging a brace against the same opponents for City in 2004.
The Trotters were also current talkSPORT co-host Bent’s chosen victims during spells at Charlton, Tottenham and Sunderland, as he netted doubles for the former two and a hat-trick for the latter.
Meanwhile five-time Premier League champion Cole was a regular thorn in West Ham‘s side, with two-goal performances for Newcastle, Manchester United and bitter rivals City.
Sterling’s previous heroics against Leicester came in consecutive appearances for his previous two teams.
In December 2021, he got on the score sheet twice for the Citizens in a thrilling 6-3 win, before his first goals in Chelsea’s colours in August 2022 secured a 2-1 victory over the Midlands outfit.
Admittedly, the Englishman’s chances of joining the exclusive club on Saturday depend largely on whether he makes Mikel Arteta‘s starting XI.
Since arriving on loan at the Emirates on transfer deadline day, Sterling has featured three times off the bench – before starting against Bolton in the Carabao Cup.
Darren Bent is a member of the three-man club which Sterling is bidding to joinAFP
So too is Robbie Fowler, who scored 163 Premier League goalsGetty
1999 Champions League winner Andy Cole completes the prolific trioGetty
And his latest performance may well have boosted his chances, as he marked his first start with a goal and an assist for 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri against their League One opponents.
The 29-year-old’s display was praised by Arteta after the match, who said: “[His performance] it was very good.
“I think he’s getting better and better. I think physically you can tell that he’s making steps.
“The moment the game opened up a little bit, you know what he can do, how he can deliver. He was involved in a few goals, so a very positive night for him.”
Fellow wide man Leandro Trossard missed the Bolton clash following his red card in the Gunners’ last league outing against City.
And having seized his chance against Bolton, Sterling will hope this could work in his favour as he bids to add his name the history books against Leicester.
Arsenal head into the Emirates clash as huge favourites, sitting just two points off leaders City in the table in fourth place, having narrowly missed out on victory against the champions last time out.
Meanwhile the newly-promoted Foxes are yet to record a league win this season, with three draws and two defeats so far.