Arsenal Chase Perfect Start Against Sunderland

Arsenal head to Wearside on Saturday night chasing a perfect start that’s beginning to feel ominous for the rest of the Premier League.

Three wins from three in the league. Five victories from five in all competitions. A 1-0 Champions League scalp of Napoli in midweek. Mikel Arteta’s side arrive at Sunderland not just in form, but armed with the division’s lowest expected-goals-against figure and a record against the Black Cats that borders on ruthless.

Arsenal have not lost to Sunderland in the Premier League since 2009. Seventeen games. No defeats. The last meeting ended 3-0 to the Londoners in February. The history, like the numbers, leans heavily one way.

Arteta shuffles the pack

Arteta came through the Napoli test with no new injuries, but he is not about to send out the same XI and hope for the best on a cold night in the North East. Rotation is part of the plan now, not a luxury.

Cristhian Mosquera (muscle) and Jurrien Timber (groin) are both doubts for the trip, while William Saliba’s back problem keeps him in the long-term absentee column. Those absences have already forced Arteta to reimagine his back line this season, and they will again.

The changes are likely to come further forward.

Kai Havertz, brought back into the side after being rested in Naples, is expected to lead the line. His movement between the lines and willingness to press from the front have turned him into a central piece of Arteta’s attacking puzzle, even when the goals don’t flow freely.

Out wide, Christos Tzolis is pushing hard to start again. Four assists in his first five games for the club is not a quiet entrance; it’s a statement. His recall to the front three would give Arsenal extra incision on the break and another creative outlet alongside Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.

In midfield, Myles Lewis-Skelly is in line to return, adding legs and energy next to Declan Rice, while Riccardo Calafiori is expected to slot back into the defensive unit, offering balance on the left. That would leave Martin Zubimendi and Bruno Guimaraes as high-class options waiting in reserve, a reminder of the depth that now underpins Arsenal’s title ambitions.

Predicted Arsenal XI

Arteta is likely to stick with his familiar structure, even as the faces change:

Arsenal possible starting XI (4-2-3-1):

• Raya;
• White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori;
• Lewis-Skelly, Rice;
• Saka, Odegaard, Tzolis;
• Havertz.

It’s a side built to control the ball, squeeze the space, and punish mistakes. The low expected-goals-against number is no accident; it’s the product of a system that strangles opponents long before they reach the penalty area.

Under the lights on Wearside

Kick-off at the Stadium of Light is set for 20:00 on Saturday, 12 September 2026, with the match broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 in the UK.

Arsenal arrive with momentum, numbers, and history on their side. Sunderland will bring the noise and the occasion. The question is whether that will be enough to halt a team that, right now, looks intent on turning a strong start into something far more serious.