Arsenal will welcome Sunderland to the Emirates Stadium for a quarterfinal fixture in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.
The hosts secured their spot at this stage of the competition by virtue of their 2-0 victory over Leeds United in the fourth round in October. Callum Chambers and Eddie Nketiah scored in either half to help the Gunners progress to the last eight.
Sunderland played out a goalless draw away to Championship side QPR before progressing with a 3-1 victory on penalties.
Arsenal come into the game on the back of a comfortable 4-1 away victory over Leeds United in the Premier League. Gabriel Martinelli scored a first-half brace to inspire the rout.
Sunderland shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw away to Ipswich Town in League One. James Norwood and Nathan Broadhead scored in either half to ensure parity was restored at fulltime.
Arsenal vs Sunderland Head-to-Head
The two sides have clashed on 153 occasions in the past and Arsenal have a superior record with 62 wins to their name.
Sunderland were victorious on 50 occasions while 41 matches in the past have ended in a share of the spoils.
This will be their first meeting since a Premier League clash in May 2017 that saw Alexis Sanchez's brace condemn the Black Cats to a 2-0 defeat en-route to getting relegated.
Arsenal form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-L-L
Sunderland form guide (all competitions): D-W-W-D-L
Arsenal vs Sunderland Team News
Arsenal
Sead Kolasinac is the only injury concern for the capital side with ankle problems. Albert Sambi Lokonga is sidelined with COVID-19 while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could also miss out due to breach of club disciplinary ethics.
Injury: Sead Kolasinac
COVID-19: Albert Sambi Lokonga
Unavailable: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Sunderland
Jordan Willis (knee) is the only injury concern for the Tyneside outfit.
Injury: Jordan Willis
Suspension: None
Arsenal vs Sunderland Predicted XI
Arsenal Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Bernd Leno (GK); Nuno Tavares, Rob Holding, Callum Chambers, Cedric Soares; Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Mohamed Elneny; Gabriel Martinelli, Folarin Balogun, Nicolas Pepe; Eddie Nketiah
Sunderland Predicted XI (3-4-3): Ron-Thorben Hoffmann (GK); Callum Doyle, Tom Flanagan, Bailey Wright; Lynden Gooch, Daniel Neil, Carl Winchester, Leon Dajaku; Alex Pritchard, Nathan Broadhead, Ross Stewart
Arsenal vs Sunderland Prediction
Despite being likely to field an under-strength team, Arsenal are still favorites to emerge victorious and progress to the last four.
The Gunners are on a positive roll and are unlikely to stutter in front of their fans. Sunderland have also impressed but are operating at significantly lower levels than their hosts.
We are backing Mikel Arteta's side to secure a comfortable victory in addition to a clean sheet.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Sunderland