Sunderland is set to host Arsenal this weekend in the Stadium of Light in a match that could shape the early Premier League title race.
Sunderland is a surprisingly strong and resilient team who currently occupy the 4th position in the league with 18th points after ten games. In a clash with Everton which ended in a 1-1 draw, Sunderland remarkably displayed their resilience and strength especially at home.
Sunderland captain, former Arsenal Granit Xhaka who had moved to Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen had contributed greatly to the club’s strong performance and is widely referred to as one of the best signings for Sunderland.
Softfootball reported Sunderland’s stunning 2-1 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge which showed that they are a strong squad and backed up by smart tactics from manager Régis Le Bris. With their strength at home, Régis Le Bris and his team will look to use home advantage and crowd energy to challenge the Gunners.
However, Arsenal is on a hot winning streak, currently on top of the Premier League table with 25 points from 10 games. Their 2-0 win over Burnley where they dominated possession was one of their impressive victories.Their defense has been remarkable with 1.9 shots in target faced per game setting a record in top flight.
Sunderland will bring maximum energy and strong home performances as they will strive to shake Arsenal’s stand while Arsenal will use their structure, discipline and quality to attack and defend.
In a pre-match press conference shared on Arsenal’s verified X handle, Manager Mikel Arteta answered questions about his players and opponents.
On his thoughts about Sunderland’s performance this season and what it meant for his team, he said,
When you analyse them and see how well-organised they are, how they adjust things, and the spirit they have within the team, I’m not surprised. They fully deserve the position that they have at the moment.
We know the type of game that we expect to play tomorrow and where the opportunities are and the things that we have to do very well to beat them and that’s what we’re going to try to do
When asked about Gabriel Jesus training resumption, Arteta replied,
It’s about making the steps day-by-day in a different surrounding. He’s been doing everything on his own; now he’s got players around him, very competitive players around him, and let’s see how he copes with that.
But he’s full of energy, I love the reaction of all his teammates when he first joined us and great to have him back.
He also opened up about Xhaka’s departure from Arsenal, describing it as difficult and when asked how he has been managing his absence, he said,
Granit, when he expressed his idea— the reasons why he believed he was better now or the right timing after everything we went through together, to take another challenge, and take that journey somewhere else, it really made me think whether it was the right thing again to try to persuade him to stay if he was having already such a deep feeling about it.
Highlighting the importance of the match against Sunderland tomorrow, he said,
Every weekend is crucial. There are weekends for other possible results or for other games, maybe they are a little bit more important.
But at the end, you need to just conquer a certain amount of points if you want to achieve our goals and three points against Sunderland tomorrow is going to be really tough and we’re going to have to really earn them.
Watch the clip below:
Sunderland’s manager, Régis Le Bris also spoke in a pre-match press conference which was shared in the club’s verified X Handle.
On his expectations from Arsenal, Le Bris admitted,
They are really strong and one of the best teams in Europe at the moment. They have top quality and great experience. It is an exciting challenge and it will be a very big test.
On Xhaka’s presence in his team, he revealed,
His knowledge about Arsenal is important for us. The main thing is his belief and the way he can transmit confidence to the rest of the squad.
Furthermore, he gave an update on Omar Alderete, saying,
He had to step back because of symptoms. It’s not serious, but the protocol is strict. He won’t be available this weekend.
Team News
Sunderland has no fresh injuries concerns after their 1-1 draw with Everton and Le Bris will leverage on this in his selection.
Arsenal is faced with some key absences, Victor Gyokeres will not play because of a muscle injury. Gabriel Martinelli’s participation is in doubt as he is still recovering from a groin injury. And Martin Odegaard is still battling with a knee issue.
Possible Lineups
Sunderland (4-3-2-1): Roefs; Hume, Mukiele, Ballard, Geertruida, Reinildo; Xhaka, Sadiki; Traoré, Isidor, Le Fée
Arsenal (4-3-2-1): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Zubimendi, Eze; Saka, Merino, Trossard
Prediction
Arsenal has a solid defense and several consecutive wins which they would be going into the game with but Sunderland has an impressive performance at home and will bring energy and optimism to the match.
So, we could be looking at Arsenal winning with a 2-0 result.
