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Arsene Wenger will lead his injury-struck Arsenal side to host relegation-battle-fighting Sunderland side at the Emirates on Saturday. The Gunners’ recent drop in form has caused the them to lose out on the top spot in the league table and the hosts now lie in fourth spot – two points away from league leaders Manchester City. The Gunners picked up just two points from their three Premier League matches last month and also suffered injuries to a number of key players.
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Meanwhile, Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce will be looking to get his side going again after back-to-back victories away to Crystal Palace and at home to Stoke City, which has seen them climb out of the relegation zone. However, Sunderland have never won at Arsenal in the Premier League but have held on for a goalless draw on three of their last five league visits to the Emirates.
Here is the preview of the game at the Emirates on Saturday:
Kickoff and Live Telecast
Channel: StarSports HD4
Live Stream: starsports.com
Date and Time: Saturday, 5 December 2015 – 15:00 GMT (20:30 IST)
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London.
Team News
Arsenal will be without at least seven first team players on Saturday, with Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla likely to be out for some time yet. Defender Kieran Gibbs is expected to return on the bench whilst Wenger retains hope that Laurent Koscielny and Theo Walcott will also be in contention. Koscielny hobbled off the field early on against Norwich, while Walcott has not been sidelined seen since the League Cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday in October.
The mounting number of absentees in midfield has left Wenger questioning whether to drop Aaron Ramsey back into the centre of the park, having deployed him out on the right for much of the year. Should he play alongside Mathieu Flamini, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could take Ramsey’s spot in the attacking midfield trio. Joel Campbell is expected to get more opportunities as he will be asked to fill the big boots of Sanchez on the left wing.
Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce will be without two key players for the visit to the Emirates, with both Jermain Defoe and Sebastian Larsson ruled out. Defoe misses out with a hamstring problem while midfielder Larsson flew to Barcelona this week for an assessment of a troublesome knee injury. Jack Rodwell is also not expected to be available.
However, defender Billy Jones is available after being banned for the win over Stoke. It means Allardyce will be forced into making changes in midfield and attack, with the likes of Jordi Gomez, Adam Johnson, Fabio Borini and Duncan Watmore all in contention to be recalled to the starting lineup. There will be no change at the back, however, with the manager continuing with a three-man defence flanked by wing-backs DeAndre Yedlin and Patrick van Aanholt.
Probable lineups
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech, Bellerin, Gabriel, Mertesacker, Monreal, Flamini, Ramsey, Ozil, Campbell, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud
Sunderland (3-4-1-2): Pantilimon, O’Shea, Coates, Kaboul, Yedlin, Cattermole, M'Vila, Van Aanholt, Lens, Borini, Fletcher
Form
Arsenal slipped to fourth spot at the end of a disappointing November in which they endured one of their regular mid-season slumps, claiming just two league points during the month, losing ground in the title race. The away trip to Norwich was far from Arsenal’s worst performance during the month; indeed in the first half hour they played encouraging football, but it was the nadir of a brutal few weeks, with Koscielny, Sanchez and Cazorla all picking up injuries.
A 2-1 defeat to West Brom was the worst possible return from the international break for Arsenal. It continued what is now developing into a dire run of form for the Gunners. Arsenal have now won just one of their last five, conceding 11 in the same period. They have lost two games in the meantime, drawing two and winning just one against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
Last 5 games: L-D-L-W-D (Last match: Norwich City 1-1 Arsenal)
Sunderland remain in a relegation battle despite moving out of the bottom three with their win over Stoke City last week. For the away side, November proved to be a terrific month as they started the month at 19th in the table and two points shy of safety. Four weeks and two wins later and there is much less doom and gloom about the place.
Like Arsenal, the Black Cats will hardly be relishing the Christmas period; not because of injuries, but because Saturday's clash is the first of several daunting fixtures in December. They welcome Watford to the Stadium of Light next week, but Sunderland then visit Chelsea and in-form Liverpool either side of hosting Manchester City. At the same time, a decent account in those fixtures would provide an abundance of belief and morale heading into the new year.
Three wins and two losses from their last five outings has brought anticipation in the fans’ minds. But nobody in red and white will be expecting to get carried away by their recent wins as just two points separates them from the danger zone.
Last 5 games: W-L-L-W-W (Last match: Sunderland 2-0 Stoke City)
Key Stats
- Sunderland have never won at Arsenal in the Premier League. They have drawn five and lost nine games at the Emirates and Highbury.
- Arsenal are unbeaten in the last 11 league meetings, having won seven and drawn four.
- The Gunners have scored just eight goals in their six home league matches this season.
- Olivier Giroud has had a hand in five goals in his five Premier League appearances against Sunderland with three goals and two assists.
- Allardyce has lost seven successive Premier League games against Arsenal and hasn't beaten the Gunners in the league since May 2010 when his Blackburn side won 2-1.
- Sunderland keeper Costel Pantilimon has made 59 saves this season – more than any other Premier League goalkeeper.
Key Battles
Sunderland back three vs Arsenal attack
It is fair to say that the visitors will be on the back foot for large portions of this encounter and will require every bit of their newfound resilience to blunt the Gunners attack, which has not been at its fluid best in recent times. Since applying the new system that includes a three-man defence in their past two matches, Sunderland have been outstanding, with John O’Shea, Younus Kaboul and Sebastian Coates noticeably flourishing in the newly implemented formation.
Under Dick Advocaat, the Black Cats were able to successfully nullify Arsenal in the final third and continually frustrate the home side. They will be looking for something similar this time around. But Arsenal’s attackers in Giroud, Ozil and Campbell will look to pose a threat on the counter. With Theo Walcott now fit, Wenger would be contemplating whether his speed and movement would be better suited than the more static Olivier Giroud in attempting to move the three Sunderland centre-backs out of their comfort zones.
Steven Fletcher vs Per Mertesacker
The Big German has been one of the mainstays for Arsenal this season. His aerial ability has helped the Gunners secure the fourth spot in the table. But with Steven Fletcher in the ranks of the visiting Sunderland, there will be an interesting contest. Mertesacker lacks the speed to run with strikers and clear the danger and, with Allardyce’s tactics, Fletcher will be expected to win the aerial battles.
But the challenge he now faces is larger than any he has ever faced. He will be up against Mertesacker who has looked solid at the back for the Gunners. Both players are good readers of the game and this battle may well decide the outcome of the game.
Prediction
Arsenal will be expected to win the game comfortably as they have more than enough fit players to negotiate the visit of Sunderland. There is no excuse for not beating a team with three victories all season. That being said, Allardyce has drawn a response from his troops in recent weeks and they will travel to the capital with a smell of blood due to the hosts’ woes. Still, Premier League title challengers do not drop points against relegation-threatened sides at home and we expect Wenger’s side to edge out the Black Cats by two goals.
Predicted score: Arsenal 2-0 Sunderland
Betting odds (bet365)
Arsenal – 2/7
Draw – 5/1
Sunderland – 12/1
