Sunderland vs Arsenal: Preview, Prediction & Lineups
Arsenal make the trip to face Sunderland on Saturday night as they look to maintain their perfect start to the Premier League season.
The Gunners were in European action last time out, securing a 1-0 win away to Napoli to start their Champions League campaign in perfect fashion. Martin Ødegaard grabbed the winner following an intricate passing move that ended in him firing an effort in off the post from the edge of the box.
Sunderland also won by a slender margin in their previous outing, snatching a 1-0 win over Hull City in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Chemsdine Talbi scored the only goal to send the Black Cats through to the next stage.
After shocking the football world to secure Europa League qualification last season, Régis Le Bris' side will be eager to do the same this time round, but a mixed start to the campaign makes them slightly less of a threat than they were. Mikel Arteta will be confident in leading his side into a Saturday night clash that will offer plenty of action.
Here's our preview of Arsenal's trip to Sunderland.
Sunderland vs Arsenal kicks off on Saturday 12 September at 20:00 BST.
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Régis Le Bris has no new injury concerns following his side's clashes with Brentford and Hull, but he will be missing Habib Diarra, who is set to miss up to eight weeks of action after sustaining a thigh injury against Fulham.
Nilson Angulo and Arsenal's late summer target Malick Fofana could be in line for starts while Romaine Mundle will be absent for the remainder of 2026 following knee surgery.
Brian Brobbey is likely to return to the starting lineup in place of Wilson Isidor, who started against Hull City, but has played off the bench so far in the Premier League.
Predicted Sunderland lineup vs Arsenal: Roefs; Mukiele, Ballard, Danso, Reinildo; Xhaka, Sadiki; Angulo, Le Fee, Fofana; Brobbey
Ben White is an injury concern after limping in the late stages of Arsenal's 1-0 win at Napoli, but Arteta confirmed he is fine and should feature on Saturday.
Jurrien Timber is fighting for his comeback after a spell on the sidelines. He travelled to Naples, but despite not being named in the matchday squad, he could return to the bench for this clash. Cristhian Mosquera is in a similar position as he bids for a return after suffering an injury against Aston Villa.
Christos Tzolis and Kai Havertz are likely to be among those who return to the lineup after they continued their fine starts to the season to contribute to Wednesday's victory off the bench.
Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Sunderland: Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Ødegaard, Lewis-Skelly, Rice; Saka, Havertz; Tzolis
Sunderland proved to be a tough test for Arsenal in this fixture last season, initially taking the lead before stealing a point with a dramatic equaliser in stoppage time, but it is likely to be different this time round.
The Gunners have looked electric in their opening matches while the Black Cats haven't been able to get fully off the mark, with four points from their first three games.
There is no doubt that Le Bris' side will prove to be a difficult force for Arsenal to contend with on Saturday, but Arteta should be confident that his side can take a convincing win and all three points back home to North London.
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