Sunderland vs Arsenal - prediction, team news, lineups

The Stadium of Light hosts the Granit Xhaka derby connected Saturday astatine 8pm, erstwhile Sunderland invited Premier League champions Arsenal to their Wearside home.

The Black Cats scraped past Hull City 1-0 successful the EFL Cup 3rd circular past clip out, portion the Gunners bushed Napoli by the aforesaid scoreline successful the Champions League.

Match preview

The defence vs. onslaught conflict that Arsenal vs. Chelsea was billed arsenic did travel to fruition, but not successful the mode that galore expected, arsenic the Gunners' rampant onslaught proved excessively blistery for the Blues' leaky backline to grip alternatively than the different mode round.

Morgan Rogers's quickfire volley was a little daze to the reddish and achromatic system, but a Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard-inspired comeback ensured that Arsenal would triumph their opening 3 Premier League games of the play for conscionable the 2nd clip successful the past 22 years.

Only 5 times successful past person the Gunners won their archetypal 4 matches of a league run - astir precocious successful 2022-23 - but Mikel Arteta's broadside are already 5 for 5 successful each tournaments aft Wednesday's hard-fought occurrence successful Naples.

Shipping conscionable the 1 extremity successful each of their competitory affairs truthful acold this play - Community Shield included - Arsenal unsurprisingly besides boast the lowest xG against successful the 2026-27 Premier League, a specified 0.93.

Furthermore, the holders person faced conscionable six shots connected people successful the existent top-flight campaign, though the lone broadside to person conceded less conscionable truthful happens to beryllium Saturday's hosts - the Black Cats person lone allowed 5 connected extremity up to this point.

While Arsenal's continental run is present up and running, Sunderland fans whitethorn already beryllium casting 1 oculus implicit to September 16, erstwhile AZ Alkmaar's sojourn to the Stadium of Light marks the commencement of their Europa League adventure.

Regis Le Bris's broadside person already furthered their ambitions of collecting 1 portion of silverware, though, taking down Hull successful Tuesday's all-Premier League League Cup showdown courtesy of a Chemsdine Talbi extremity midway done the 2nd half.

Sunderland's knockout occurrence saw Regis Le Bris's broadside widen their unbeaten tally to 3 games successful each tournaments, pursuing the postulation of 4 points from a imaginable six against Fulham (1-0) and Brentford (1-1) successful the apical flight.

Also relying connected second-half goals successful some of those fixtures, the Black Cats claimed a constituent against the Bees acknowledgment to Enzo Le Fee's precocious penalty, making them the lone squad with a extremity quality of zero successful the existent Premier League campaign.

Brian Brobbey bedlam memorably ensued erstwhile Sunderland snatched a constituent successful a melodramatic 2-2 gully with Arsenal past year, but the Gunners strode to a 3-0 location triumph successful February, extending their unbeaten Premier League tally against the hosts to 17 matches since a Darren Bent-inflicted decision successful 2009.

Sunderland Premier League form:

Sunderland signifier (all competitions):

Arsenal Premier League form:

Arsenal signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Arteta was successful a presumption to marque a fistful of changes to his Arsenal XI against Napoli, contempt missing some Cristhian Mosquera (muscle) and Jurrien Timber (groin), some of whom are doubtful for Saturday too.

William Saliba (back) is simply a semipermanent absentee, but the champions person nary caller worries from their Champions League exertions, though much alterations are successful store.

Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Riccardo Calafiori should each beryllium restored to the lineup, Tzolis already boasting 4 assists from his archetypal 5 games for the nine but inactive waiting to unfastened his ain account.

As for Sunderland, Le Bris sustained nary caller superior concerns aft the Brentford oregon Hull fixtures, anterior to which Habib Diarra was ruled retired for six to 8 weeks with the thigh wounded helium sustained against Fulham.

Winger Romaine Mundle is besides expected to miss the remainder of 2026 aft undergoing genu surgery, but Nilson Angulo and one-time Arsenal transportation people Malick Fofana are higher up the wide pecking bid anyway.

The Belgian got 79 minutes into his legs successful the cupful and could present marque his afloat Premier League debut, supporting the returning Brobbey aft Wilson Isidor got the motion up beforehand against Hull.

Sunderland imaginable starting lineup:

Roefs; Mukiele, Ballard, Danso, Reinildo; Xhaka, Sadiki; Angulo, Le Fee, Fofana; Brobbey

Arsenal imaginable starting lineup:

Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Lewis-Skelly, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Tzolis; Havertz

We say: Sunderland 1-3 Arsenal

Midweek fatigue should not beryllium a origin successful either side's show astatine the Stadium of Light, acknowledgment to Arteta's options for rotation and Le Bris's multitude of changes successful the cup.

However, with Arsenal evolving adjacent further connected the attacking front, the holders person our implicit backing to support their 100% commencement to the season.

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