🕟 Kick Off: 15:00 GMT

🏟️ Venue: Emirates Stadium

📺 UK Broadcaster: N/A

🙎🏻‍♂️ Referee: Samuel Barrott

📹 VAR: Michael Salisbury

🔴 Arsenal Team News:

• Bukayo Saka (Hip): Recovering well, but remains a major doubt for tomorrow.
• Martin Ødegaard (Knock): Arteta is optimistic for a return in “days,” but he is still a doubt.
• Mikel Merino (Foot): Stress fracture requiring surgery; ruled out long-term (likely for the season).
• Max Dowman (Ankle): Not yet back in training; unavailable until late February.

⚽ Arsenal Form: 🟩🟩🟩🟥🟩

🟥 Sunderland Team News:

• Granit Xhaka: Ankle injury; The captain is ruled out for the game against Arsenal. Le Bris confirmed he will not be available.
• Bertrand Traoré: Knee injury; Sustained while representing Burkina Faso at AFCON. He is currently sidelined and expected to be out until mid-to-late February.
• Arthur Masuaku: Ankle/Foot injury; Another AFCON casualty (DR Congo). He is ruled out for the next few weeks with a return targeted for late February.
• Jocelin Ta Bi: Ankle injury; Remains on the long-term injury list and is ruled out for tomorrow.

⚽ Sunderland Form: 🟩🟥🟩🟧🟥

⚔️ Head-to-Head:

• Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal (November 8, 2025, Premier League)
• Arsenal 5-1 Sunderland (December 21, 2021, EFL Cup)
• Arsenal 2-0 Sunderland (May 16, 2017, Premier League)
• Sunderland 1-4 Arsenal (October 29, 2016, Premier League)
• Sunderland 0-0 Arsenal (April 24, 2016, Premier League)

📖 Match Facts:

• Sunderland have not won away at Arsenal in the league since 1983. Their last away win against the Gunners came in 2002 in the League Cup.
• Arsenal are on a 43 match unbeaten streak against promoted sides playing at the Emirates.
• Arsenal are yet to win a home game in the league in 2026, albeit only having played 2 league games at home so far this year.

✍🏼 Pre-Match Ramblings

Arsenal have a huge opportunity to pile on the pressure on Man City before they visit Anfield by going 9 points clear at the top of the Premier League. After missing out on 3 points by mere minutes at the Stadium of Light earlier this season, Arteta’s men will be hoping to rue their heartbreaking draw in Sunderland.

The Gunners barely broke a sweat midweek playing what was a glorified training match against a Chelsea team who didn’t seem to understand that they were behind and had to score a goal. The most action Rosenior saw all evening was an Arsenal coaching encroaching into his sides half in the pre-game warmups (and the hilarious Havertz dagger).

Arsenal need to get back to winning ways at the Emirates, having got just 1 point out of home matches against Liverpool and Man United. Sunderland will not be an easy opponent, certainly a tougher test than what we faced at Leeds, but a team going for the gold should be beating, or at least look like beating (looking at you, Liverpool game), any team in the league at home.

Onto Sunderland, they visit Arsenal without summer signing and ex-Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka. It would’ve been nice to see him back at the Emirates, but I am glad he is absent given the huge impact he has had on Sunderland.