Can Sunderland maintain their strong start? What the data tells us
Sunderland are back in Premier League action when they face Arsenal on Saturday evening
Régis Le Bris has named an unchanged Sunderland side to face Arsenal at the Stadium of Light on Saturday evening.
Le Bris is keeping faith with the system and personnel that won at Stamford Bridge and drew with Everton on Monday night, with the Black Cats set to play in a back five against the league leaders. As expected, Omar Alderete is absent from the squad as he recovers from a concussion.
Speaking ahead of the game, Le Bris admitted that his side would have to produce a ‘masterclass’ to get anything out of the contest: “We have to play our best football, and if we are afraid or a bit reserved against this team we’ll be punished. If we are too emotional, we’ll be punished. So it has to be a masterclass! It’s a perfect test after ten games. It’s exactly what we want - to be competitive in this league and to play against these great teams. It will be a different match, different game, but I think and hope we will be ready.”
Sunderland XI: Roefs; Hume, Mukiele, Ballard, Geertruida; Reinildo; Traore, Sadiki, Xhaka, Le Fee; Isidor
Subs: Neil, Patterson, O'Nien, Masuaku, Mayenda, Brobbey, Rigg, Talbi, Adingra
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The Arsenal team news explained
As expected, Viktor Gyokeres has been ruled out for Arsenal. Mikel Merino is expected to lead the line in his absence, having scored twice in the Champions League win over Slavia Prague in midweek.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta said: “We have found a way to play Mikel in three different roles already this season, and he has performed in all of them. He had a massive contribution the other night with his goals, especially with Viktor out, which is great to have.
“It’s not natural because he hasn’t played there before in his career, but he’s such an intelligent and competitive player that he can adapt to any position, because first of all, he’s so willing to do his very best, to understand what he needs to do. He’s always asking questions and he’s a winner. Wherever he plays, the only thing he wants is to win, to contribute to the team, and when you have that mindset, things normally go well for you.”
Arteta has made three changes from midweek, with defender Riccardo Calafiori returning alongside midfielder Martín Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze.
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