Sunderland have a big test on their hands as Arsenal come visiting the Stadium of Light, and both teams will be eager to hold on to their current spots.

Sunderland maintained their form to a certain degree as they took part in a Monday night game against Everton at home and came out of it with a draw, but things get difficult against Arsenal.

Meanwhile, if things had gone the Toffees’ way, they would have been two goals to the good had it not been for Thierno Barry’s terrible miss from three yards out, as Everton were in the lead after a tremendous goal scored by Iliman Ndiaye.

Sunderland came roaring back into the game immediately after the second half started, courtesy of a Granit Xhaka special from outside the box. Regis Le Bris’s side are now three games unbeaten in the league following the draw after they had won against Wolves and then Chelsea, which makes this upcoming clash against Arsenal a key fixture in their bid to stay in the top four.

There are questions asked of Sunderland over how sustainable they could be with their form, but the Black Cats are widely expected to finish better than previous promoted sides. While their current form warrants Le Bris’s side to put in a strong performance on Saturday, Arsenal will be a big test for their character.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are showing no signs of a drop off following yet another game where they won and kept a clean sheet. Their victory away from home at Slavia Praha set a new club record for keeping eight consecutive clean sheets, as the Gunners have only conceded three goals all season in around 16 games across all competitions.

Arsenal finished last weekend with an away win at Burnley, with first-half goals from Viktor Gyokeres and Declan Rice sealing the points. The Gunners showed plenty of composure on both ends of the field, as this was another game where Arteta’s side barely conceded chances, let alone a goal.

The Gunners are currently six points ahead of second-placed Manchester City and seven ahead of Liverpool, and they will want to secure another win away at Sunderland to maintain that gap. On Sunday, their two closest rivals take on each other at the Etihad. If Arteta’s side manages a win at the Stadium of Light, it would ensure there is every chance they extend their lead on one or both of those key rivals.

Team News & Tactics

Sunderland

Regis Le Bris does have his share of injury concerns, and Sunderland are currently missing a quintet of players, such as Aji Alese, Dennis Cirkin, Romaine Mundle, Leo Fuhr Hjelde, and Habib Diarra. While there are no fresh concerns after the draw with Everton, there are still doubts over defender Omar Alderete.

He was due to return to face the Toffees after a concussion issue, but did not make it due to a ‘residual symptom’, which could place him in doubt for the game against Arsenal as well.

Le Bris is likely to keep a similar formation such as the previous game, meaning a back five will be in effect for Sunderland, including Lutsharel Geertruida, Nordi Mukiele and former Arsenal man Daniel Ballard in that defensive setup.

Another former Arsenal man is probably the headline name in this fixture, as Granit Xhaka will face his old team in a competitive game for the first time since leaving more than two years ago from a midfield role.

Probable Lineup (5-4-1): Roefs; Mukiele, Geertruida, Ballard, Mandava, Hume; Traore, Xhaka, Huggins, Le fee; Isidor

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta’s injury problems continued to mount after the game against Burnley, although there are no fresh concerns from the trip to Prague in midweek. Viktor Gyokeres, after probably having his best 45 minutes in the Premier League, suffered a muscle problem that saw him get substituted at half-time at Turf Moor.

Martin Zubimendi later asked to be subbed off, but the Spanish midfielder has since resumed training, although he was suspended for the Slavia Praha game in midweek. The Spaniard is expected to return on Saturday alongside Rice in that Arsenal midfield, while Mikel Merino, after his brace in midweek, will likely lead the line in Gyokeres’s potential absence against Sunderland.

There are a host of attacking players still missing from action as Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz are still recovering from their respective problems. Gabriel Jesus did recently resume training after more than 10 months of missing the action with an ACL injury, but the trip to Wearside will come too soon for the Brazilian.

Arteta is widely expected to name a familiar lineup from last weekend, barring Gyokeres, as Eberechi Eze,  Riccardo Calafiori, and Zubimendi will return to the lineup. Bukayo Saka will once again captain the side, and Leandro Trossard will feature on the other flank.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Eze, Trossard; Merino

Key Stats

• Sunderland are unbeaten in their last three Premier League games.
• Sunderland are unbeaten at the Stadium of Light in the Premier League this season.
• Arsenal are undefeated in their last 12 matches against Sunderland in all competitions.
• Arsenal have kept a clean sheet in eight consecutive games across all competitions.
• Sunderland have noot won any of their last 23 Premier League games against sides starting the day in the top four of the table (D7 L16) since a 2-1 win over 2nd place Chelsea in April 2014. Their last victory over a table topping side in the top-flight was in a 1-0 home win against Manchester City in January 2012.

Player to Watch

Bukayo Saka

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Arsenal looked a bit different going forward against Burnley in the second half compared to the opening period. The big reason for that is speculated to be the absence of Viktor Gyokeres, with the team missing his energy across the frontline. With the upcoming game against Sunderland a must-win encounter of sorts in the context of the title race, Mikel Arteta will look at players like Saka to step up their game.

Saka, who has endured an indifferent season, still feels like he is coming back to his best self. The goal from the penalty spot in midweek would have done good to his confidence, and Arteta will want his stand-in skipper to step up and take the game by its scruff, to give the Gunners every chance of winning this encounter and adding to the pressure on their title rivals.

Prediction

Sunderland 1-2 Arsenal

Sunderland are certainly the underdogs in this fixture, given the form Arsenal are in currently. However, with Regis Le Bris’s side unbeaten at home in the Premier League this season, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic before facing the league leaders on Saturday.

Arsenal are not only winning games, but they are barely conceding chances, let alone goals, which could be a cause of concern for Sunderland. Mikel Arteta will demand yet another complete performance from his side on the pitch, and the Gunners are widely expected to collect three points, although their clean sheet run might be in a bit of danger.