Arsenal head to the Stadium of Light on Saturday with little time to dwell on Wednesday’s win to open this season’s Champions League campaign.
Mikel Arteta’s side followed three straight Premier League wins with a 1-0 victory away to Napoli on Wednesday, Martin Odegaard eventually breaking the deadlock after Arsenal had created enough chances to win by a more comfortable margin.
The results have been consistent even if each match has presented different challenges. The Gunners opened the league campaign by beating Coventry before winning away at Aston Villa. Then having to fight a comeback during Chelsea’s visited the Emirates, conceding their first and only goal of the season so far after just 77 seconds.
Sunderland should provide yet another type of test.
Regis Le Bris’ side have taken four points from their opening three league games after recovering from defeat at Ipswich with a 1-0 win over Fulham and a 1-1 draw away to Brentford. They also beat Hull City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, meaning both teams come into this game on a short turnaround
Arsenal Team News
William Saliba continues to be Arsenal’s most notable absentee after missing the opening weeks of the season.
The Frenchman did not travel for the Champions League victory over Napoli, while Jurrien Timber and Cristhian Mosquera were also absent from the matchday squad in Italy. Arteta is yet to provide a fresh update on whether either defender will be available for the trip to Sunderland.
Ezri Konsa started alongside Gabriel in Naples, with Ben White at right-back, whilst Piero Hincapie replaced Riccardo Calafiori on the opposite side.
Calafiori was an unused substitute and should return to his starting role at the Stadium of Light.
Arteta made the most of his squad depth in Naples. Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres were all brought into the starting XI, while Kai Havertz, Martin Zubimendi, Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis were among the options used from the bench.
Guimaraes’ return has been managed after he missed the opening league fixture, while Declan Rice has started every Arsenal game so far despite his heavy workload through last season, followed by a semi-final run in this summer’s World Cup.
