Predicted Arsenal XI vs Sunderland: Mikel Arteta to make big £34m selection call
Arsenal travel to Sunderland on Saturday night looking to make it four Premier League wins from four.
They have started their title defence perfectly, winning all three games comfortably and barely conceding 1.0 xG cumulatively.
They’re up and running in the Champions League too, after about as dominant a 1-0 win can possibly be against Napoli.
So far, everything is going to plan.
But a tricky fixture looms on Saturday night. One in which they dropped points in a 2-2 draw last season. Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
And in picking the starting XI, Mikel Arteta has last season’s game to use as a blueprint for the left wing slot.
Leandro Trossard thrived with his ability to find pockets between the lines and combine in tight spaces. That sort of skillset is perfectly suited to breaking down Regis Le Bris’ low block.
That brings us to Arsenal’s most interesting selection dilemma heading into Saturday.
Eberechi Eze or Christos Tzolis vs Sunderland?
Much has been made of Christos Tzolis‘ impressive start to life at Arsenal, and rightly so. The Greek already has four assists to his name, and has combined particularly well with Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard.
But let’s not forget he really struggled in his first away game in the Premier League against Aston Villa. Sunderland is another evening kick-off in front of a similarly raucous crowd.
Meanwhile, Eberechi Eze’s cameo at Villa Park was great, combining well with Riccardo Calafiori to create Bukayo Saka’s winner. But he got his chance from the start against Napoli midweek and didn’t impress. That doesn’t guarantee he won’t play here, but it certainly doesn’t help his case.
Both have had their moments, but neither has nailed down the starting spot.
Purely from a profile perspective, Eze arguably makes more sense against Sunderland’s block.
Similarly to Trossard last season, he can find pockets, combine in tight spaces and drift inside, while Tzolis is more direct, more of a wide threat and better suited to games with more space.
There’s a sense that Arteta is selecting his teams based on the specific demands of each game rather than form alone. It was Tzolis who started against Chelsea despite Eze’s superior Villa cameo.
The Champions League rotation may also play a part, having rested certain players midweek, Arteta may revert to his strongest available line-up.
On balance, Tzolis probably starts. But it is close.
Predicted Arsenal XI vs Sunderland
David Raya starts in goal while Ezri Konsa and Gabriel continue at centre-back. Ben White in at right-back, assuming he’s fit, after limping off against Napoli, with Calafiori continuing on the left.
In midfield, Declan Rice and Odegaard are shoo-ins, but it could either be Bruno Guimaraes or Myles Lewis-Skelly to partner them. This would be Guimaraes’ first Premier League start for Arsenal, and what more suitable opposition than his old team’s rivals.
Saka starts on the right, Havertz leads the line, and on the left, Tzolis gets the nod, with Eze providing an option from the bench.
Predicted Arsenal XI vs Sunderland: Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Tzolis