Arsenal vs Sunderland - English Premier League

Arsenal vs Sunderland
Premier League : 8. Round
Date : 16. October 2011 - 13:30 GMT
Stadium : Emirates stadium

Arsenal host Sunderland on Sunday at 1:30 and the sides sitting 15th and 16th in the table, both have every incentive to make this the game when they get their season back on track. Defeats to Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham have shown that Arsenal may no longer be able to compete at the same level after losing Fabregas and Nasri, while being upset by an out of sorts Blackburn Rovers was just plain embarrassing.

Sunderland's problems may have arisen due to the massive changes in their squad made by Steve Bruce over the summer. The likes of Wickham, Bendtner and Gardner may take time to settle into the side, but in the meantime the Black Cats still need to pick up points. Without Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck, and with Wickham and Campbell both injured for spells, the Mackems have looked light up front, and fans will hope that Bendtner's goal in their last game is the beginning of the end of this problem.

Arsenal's traditional injury problems show no real signs of abating, with six potential first teamers undergoing treatment at the moment. Szczesny should be fit for Sunday, although long waits for Sagna and Wilshere will hinder the Gunners. Two draws last season when these sides met were results that distinctly favoured Sunderland, and Arsene Wenger will want to avoid another such disappointment with questions over his management being asked more frequently now despite fifteen relatively successful years in charge.

Head to Head :
Last Meeting : 5. March 2011 Arsenal 0 - 0 Sunderland
Wins Arsenal : 51
Wins Sunderland : 47
Draws : 38

Recent Performance :
Arsenal : Lose / Win / Win / Win / Lose
Sunderland : Draw / Lose / Win / Lose / Draw

Possible Line-Ups :
Arsenal : Szczęsny - Sagna, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy, Traore, Arshavin, Song, Rosicky, van Persie, Walcott.
Sunderland : Mignolet - Turner, Brown, O'shea, El Mohamadi, Cattermole, Larsson, Gardner, Richardson, Sessegnon, Bendtner.

Betting Tip/Prediction :
Arsenal host Sunderland on Sunday at 1:30 and the sides sitting 15th and 16th in the table, both have every incentive to make this the game when they get their season back on track.
Our prediction : Arsenal win