By OkayGoal
Arsenal head to the Stadium of Light aiming to stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League, with victory over Sunderland tonight set to put Mikel Arteta’s side three points clear of Manchester City.
The Gunners have made a flawless start to the campaign, winning all four fixtures across all competitions. Their Champions League opener finished 1-0 in Naples, courtesy of a stunning second-half strike from Martin Ødegaard against Napoli.
Domestically, Arsenal have swept aside Coventry City, Aston Villa and Chelsea to sit on a maximum nine points from three league outings, with the 2-1 win over their London rivals at the Emirates arguably the standout result so far.
Four Changes From Napoli Win
Arteta has shuffled his pack for this one, making four alterations to the side that edged past Napoli in midweek. David Raya continues in goal, with Ben White and Gabriel Magalhães holding their places at the back, though Riccardo Calafiori comes in at left-back in place of Piero Hincapié.
Declan Rice keeps his midfield berth, joined by Myles Lewis-Skelly ahead of Mikel Merino, while Bruno Guimarães and Martin Zubimendi remain among the substitutes. Ødegaard, enjoying a superb run of form, starts again alongside Bukayo Saka, with Noni Madueke settling for a place on the bench. Cristos Tzolis is recalled on the left flank, with Kai Havertz preferred up front over Viktor Gyökeres.
It feels like a selection built for freshness in the final third rather than Arteta’s strongest XI on paper – a gamble that could pay off against a Sunderland midfield built around Xhaka and Le Fée.
Confirmed Line-ups
Sunderland: Roefs; Meunier, Mukiele, Ballard, Danso, Reinildo; Xhaka, Sadiki, Le Fée; Angulo, Brobbey
Subs: Ellborg, Hume, O’Nien, Alderete, Methalie, Talbi, Rigg, Fofana, Isidor
Arsenal: Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Ødegaard; Saka, Tzolis, Havertz
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Hincapié, Eze, Timber, Gyökeres, Madueke, Merino, Zubimendi, Guimarães