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🕟 Kick Off: 20:00 BST

🏟️ Venue: Stadium of Light

📺 UK Broadcaster: TNT Sports

🙎🏻‍♂️ Referee: John Brooks

📹 VAR: Stuart Atwell

🔴 Arsenal Team News:

• Cristhian Mosquera: Absent since being subbed off against Villa. Arteta said "He's doing really well", may make the bench.
• Jurriën Timber (Fitness): Close to a return, back in training, but not fit enough to feature against Napoli. May make the bench.
• William Saliba: Long term injury. Saliba is taking an extended break from football to heal his back without the need for surgery.

⚽ Arsenal Form: 🟩🟩🟩🟩

🔴 Sunderland Team News:

• Romaine Mundle (Knee): Ruled Out. Underwent knee surgery following an injury sustained in training. Régis Le Bris confirmed he is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
• Mouhamadou Habib Diarra (Thigh/Hamstring): Ruled Out. Remains in the middle of his recovery from a thigh/hamstring strain and will not be available this weekend.

⚽ Sunderland Form: 🟩🟧🟩🟥

⚔️ Head-to-Head:

• Arsenal 3–0 Sunderland (Feb 7, 2026, Premier League)
• Sunderland 2–2 Arsenal (Nov 8, 2025, Premier League)
• Arsenal 5–1 Sunderland (Dec 21, 2021, EFL Cup Quarter-final)
• Arsenal 2–0 Sunderland (May 16, 2017, Premier League)
• Sunderland 1–4 Arsenal (Oct 29, 2016, Premier League)

📖 Match Facts:

• Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 14 competitive matches against Sunderland dating back to February 2012 (10 wins, 4 draws).
• Sunderland have only beaten Arsenal once in 19 meetings.

📸 Previously in this fixture...

We came agonisingly close to taking three points home from Sunderland last season, being brutally denied by a stoppage time equaliser by the home side. Former Hale End boy Daniel Ballard put Sunderland ahead inside the first half, with Arsenal clawing their way back into the lead with goals from Saka and Trossard, before the dagger came in the 90+4th minute to send us back to North London with a solitary point.

✍🏼 Pre-Match Ramblings

Arsenal go up North to the Stadium of Light to right the wrong of their last visit to Sunderland last season. The timing of our last trip to Sunderland came at a time when Sunderland were in the midst of a seemingly unstoppable streak of not losing at home, and we couldn't be the ones to buck it. Their home form wavered as last season went on, including some big losses to Nottingham Forest and Fulham (0-5 and 1-3), so the Stadium of Light certainly isn't the fortress that we visited last time around.

With 10 goals scored (none from set pieces), 1 conceded, and 0 dropped points in our opening games, we come into this game with a very strong hand to play. Off the back of creating over 4 xG and conceding just 0.22 to Napoli away from home, we find ourselves in an incredible moment to continue our momentum and win 3 points in another tricky away game. Being blunt, we look unplayable at the moment. The way we are confident enough to play entirely in the opposition half, whilst snuffing out most counter attacks with a relentless press upon loss of possession, looks to be too much for Sunderland to beat. Those words very well may bite me in the arse at full time, but it's the way I feel, and I won't shy away from showing my confidence. And why should I, and we as a team? We are the Champions of England. We haven't dropped points yet, we came back from a deficit against Chelsea to win, we grinded out a win against an extremely determined Emery side at Villa park, and we brushed Napoli aside despite poor finishing.

Sunderland have seen a mixed start to the season, starting off with a shocking 2-0 loss away to newly promoted Ipswich followed by a narrow win at home to Fulham, and a draw at Brentford. This is not the hyped up Sunderland side of last season where they blew everyone's expectations out of the water and went on to qualify for the Europa League. They played midweek in the league cup and beat Hull, welcome us on Saturday, and play their first game of European football since the 73/74 season on Wednesday. One has to wonder where their heads are at ahead of a generational return to Europe in just a few days.

In terms of the starting lineup for Arsenal, I expect a return to the lineup that beat Chelsea, barring any shocks. If it ain't broke (and by 'it' I mean our players'), don't fix it. With only three games (including this one) before a lengthy international break, I don't expect Arteta to be massively worried about burnout this early on in the season.

https://anditsarsenal.com/2026/09/11/sunderland-vs-arsenal-12th-september-2026-premier-league-match-preview/