The Stadium of Light will host the latest chapter of the Granit Xhaka derby on Saturday evening when Sunderland welcome Premier League champions Arsenal to Wearside.
The two sides will meet at 8pm, with Sunderland looking to extend their impressive unbeaten run while Arsenal aim to maintain their perfect start to the new Premier League campaign.
Both teams enter the fixture having progressed in Europe and domestic cup competition respectively. Sunderland edged past Hull City 1-0 in the EFL Cup third round on Tuesday, while Arsenal secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Napoli in the Champions League.
Arsenal’s most recent Premier League outing saw them claim a 2-1 victory over Chelsea in what was expected to be a tactical battle between the Gunners’ attack and the Blues’ defence.
The anticipated defence-versus-attack contest eventually unfolded, although Arsenal’s attacking quality proved decisive. Chelsea took the lead through Morgan Rogers, whose quickfire volley briefly disrupted the Gunners, but Arsenal responded strongly.
For the hosts, however, attention is already beginning to turn towards their own European adventure. Sunderland will begin their Europa League campaign on September 16 when AZ Alkmaar visit the Stadium of Light, providing Regis Le Bris and his players with another major occasion in an already memorable season.
Before then, Sunderland have continued to demonstrate their ability to compete across multiple competitions.
Their Premier League campaign has also produced encouraging results, with the Black Cats collecting four points from their opening two matches. They began with a 1-0 victory over Fulham before securing a 1-1 draw against Brentford.
That unbeaten start has given Sunderland confidence ahead of the visit of the reigning champions, although Arsenal will provide by far their toughest test so far.
With Xhaka facing his former club and both sides arriving on the back of positive results, the Stadium of Light promises to provide a fascinating Premier League encounter as Sunderland attempt to halt Arsenal’s perfect start.
Team News
Arteta was in a position to make a handful of changes to his Arsenal XI against Napoli, despite missing both Cristhian Mosquera (muscle) and Jurrien Timber (groin), both of whom are doubtful for Saturday too.
As for Sunderland, Le Bris sustained no new serious concerns after the Brentford or Hull fixtures, prior to which Habib Diarra was ruled out for six to eight weeks with the thigh injury he sustained against Fulham.
Possible Lineups
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Roefs; Mukiele, Ballard, Danso, Reinildo; Xhaka, Sadiki; Angulo, Le Fee, Fofana; Brobbey
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Lewis-Skelly, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Tzolis; Havertz
How to Watch
| Platform | Details |
|---|---|
| TV Broadcast | SuperSport |
| Live Stream | dstv stream |
| Kick-off Time | 8:00pm (WAT) |
Match Predictions
Softfootball Sunderland 1-3 Arsenal
