Premier League leaders Arsenal return to domestic action on Saturday afternoon as they welcome Sunderland to the Emirates Stadium, with Mikel Arteta’s side looking to tighten their grip on the title race.
The match will not be shown live on UK television due to the 3pm blackout rule. Live streaming is also unavailable for UK audiences, with highlights to follow later in the day. In play service is available with Bet365.
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The Gunners sit six points clear at the summit and could stretch that advantage to nine points by the end of the weekend, with second placed Manchester City not in action until Sunday when they travel to Anfield to face Liverpool.
Confidence is high in north London after Arsenal secured their place in the EFL Cup final with a midweek victory over Chelsea.
Arsenal’s league form continues to set the pace, and Arteta has rotated his squad well during a demanding period.
David Raya is expected to return in goal after Kepa Arrizabalaga started in midweek, while a defensive reshuffle could see Riccardo Calafiori come in at left back in place of Piero Hincapie.
There may also be changes further forward. Kai Havertz scored the decisive goal off the bench against Chelsea and could feature from the start alongside Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice in midfield.
Bukayo Saka remains sidelined with injury, meaning Noni Madueke is likely to continue on the right wing, although Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus are pushing for starts in attack.
Martin Odegaard is set to miss the visit of Sunderland but is closing in on a return, with Thursday night’s meeting with Brentford pencilled in as a possible comeback.
Sunderland arrive in buoyant mood after a dominant 3-0 win over Burnley on Monday night, a result that extended their unbeaten home run in the Premier League to 12 games.
Regis Le Bris’ side continue to exceed expectations this season and sit just five points outside the top four heading into the weekend.
The Black Cats are expected to keep changes to a minimum following that impressive display, although they will be without former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka, who misses out with an ankle injury.
Bertrand Traore and January signing Jocelin Ta Bi are also unavailable, while Omar Alderete is expected to be fit despite limping off against Burnley.
Arsenal go into the contest as strong favourites on home soil, but Sunderland’s confidence and momentum suggest they will travel to the Emirates believing they can test the league leaders.
