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Sunderland and Arsenal are both in desperate need of redemption after the recent Premier League results, so we should see real intensity in this clash at the Stadium of Light.
The hosts are on the back of a horrific 0-8 defeat at Southampton, an absolutely abysmal performance by Sunderland on the defensive end. The blow out was that much more of a surprise considering Sunderland only lost one other Premier League game this season, but on the other hand they had an easy schedule and the statistics were not at all impressive: 1 win, 5 draws, 1 loss. Coach Poyet said that he expect his team to bounce back against Arsenal but of course that seems like wishful thinking – surely they will be 100% focused and motivated and they are much better than they showed in the last game, but a 0-8 defeat does leave serious scars on short term.
The Gunners are in a crisis right now. With just 2 Premier League wins so far they find themselves on the 7th place and have to deal again with a massive amount of injuries. Arsenal finished tied with Hull in the last round (2-2 at home) in a game they did not deserve to win (statistics can be misleading), and needed 2 injury time goals to escape with a very lucky win in Belgium against Anderlecht on Wednesday. Per Mertesacker has admitted that the team lacks confidence, but said this is the moment to turn the season around.
Bet on Sunderland vs. Arsenal with the best Premier League odds offered by Pinnacle.
Team news & lineups:
Giacherinni, Alvarez, Coates and Jones are out for Sunderland. Arsenal is in a world of trouble with Wilshere, Koscielny, Debuchy, Ospina, Giroud, Walcott, Ozzil, Diaby, Gnabry and Sanogo all out.
Sunderland: Mannone – Vergini, Brown, O’Shea, Van Aanholt – Cattermole – Buckley, Larsson, Gómez, Wickham – Fletcher.
Arsenal: Szczesny – Bellerin, Chambers, Mertesacker, Gibbs – Arteta, Ramsey – Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sánchez, Cazorla – Welbeck.
Listen, I`m not getting carried away by Sunderland`s 0-8 defeat last round, but it will have an impact on their morale and it`s not like they have played top class football so far this season. Arsenal is in bad shape and struggling big time with injuries, but they are used to missing a lot of players and I expect the Anderlecht win to pump some confidence into this side. They have not played that bad recently, though results weren`t up to standards. Arsenal to win is my tip here and I am very confident about this pick. Cazorla, Sanzhez and Welbeck should be able to break down Sunderland`s defense, while the hosts do not post too much of an offensive threat. These kind of games Arsenal usually wins, they always had success against Sunderland so expect the Gunners to bounce back. I was thinking about a handicap here for better odds, but in the end I will choose to bet maximum stakes on the simple Arsenal win instead of the more risky handicap. Prediction: Sunderland – Arsenal 0-2.
Pick: Arsenal
Odds: 1.77 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 10
Possible profit: 7.7
Event date: 25 October
