Arsenal vs Sunderland Premier League preview, team news and prediction

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Before Arsenal fans swap their traditional red and white for Liverpool scarves on Sunday, they’ll be fully behind their own team as the Gunners host Sunderland in Saturday’s Premier League clash at the Emirates. Arsenal return home buoyed by thoughts of their upcoming EFL Cup final, while Sunderland continue to nurture hopes of a European adventure.

The Gunners entered last weekend winless in three Premier League matches, having failed to score in two of them, and only narrowly defeated Kairat 3-2 in a Champions League top-versus-bottom encounter. Many expected Arsenal to stumble again against an in-form Leeds United side. However, Mikel Arteta’s men silenced the doubters with a ruthless display, thrashing Leeds 4-0 at Elland Road—even after losing emergency striker Mikel Merino and academy star Bukayo Saka to injury just before kickoff.

Gameweek 24 proved especially fruitful for Arsenal. Not only did they secure an emphatic win, but they also benefited from Aston Villa’s shock home defeat to Brentford and Tottenham’s spirited comeback to hold Manchester City. As a result, Arsenal sit six points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

An unprecedented quadruple remains on the cards for the Gunners, who edged past Chelsea in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg thanks to a last-minute Kai Havertz tap-in, booking their place at Wembley with a 1-0 win. Arsenal now seek a fourth consecutive victory in all competitions and are on the verge of a new Premier League record: they are unbeaten in 43 straight top-flight home matches against newly-promoted sides, equalling Chelsea’s record from 2001 to 2015.

After Saturday, Arsenal supporters may temporarily shift their allegiance, hoping Liverpool can further dent Manchester City’s title hopes. Sunderland fans, on the other hand, may find themselves backing City, with the reigning champions still within reach.

Sunderland have bounced back impressively after a disappointing festive period that saw them go five matches without a win from December 20 to January 7. They have now won three of their last four games in all competitions, most recently dispatching Burnley 3-0 thanks to goals from Habib Diarra, Chemsdine Talbi, and an Axel Tuanzebe own goal. Regis Le Bris’s side enter gameweek 25 sitting eighth in the table, just three points off Liverpool in sixth and five behind the top four.

However, away form has been an issue for Sunderland, who are winless in their last seven Premier League road games since their shock 2-1 victory at Chelsea in October. A win at the Emirates would make Sunderland the first promoted Premier League

Arsenal’s injury list continues to grow, with Mikel Merino (foot) potentially sidelined for the remainder of the season, while Bukayo Saka’s hip injury—sustained during the warm-up at Elland Road—is unlikely to heal in time for the weekend. Martin Odegaard also missed the midweek cup victory over Chelsea, but Mikel Arteta is optimistic that his captain will recover from his minor issue in time to feature on Saturday. Max Dowman (ankle) is also nearing a return to action.

Arteta is expected to make a few changes to his starting lineup, most notably recalling Kai Havertz after his late heroics against Chelsea. The German could even partner Gabriel Jesus in attack if both Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze drop to the bench.

For Sunderland, former Arsenal midfielder and current captain Granit Xhaka will not make a return to the Emirates, as he is sidelined with an ankle injury and could be out for the rest of the month. Sunderland’s only other injury concerns are Bertrand Traore—who is close to returning from a knee issue—and January signing Jocelin Ta Bi (ankle).

Regis Le Bris is likely to stick with the same lineup that convincingly defeated Burnley, which means Arsenal academy graduate Dan Ballard and striker Brian Brobbey should both start. Both players have the chance to become the first Sunderland players in 72 years to score home and away against Arsenal in a single league campaign. Omar Alderete limped off late against Burnley, but there are no major concerns regarding his availability for this match.

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