The Black Cats have been flying since their return to the top flight, boasting a record of five wins, three draws, and just two losses this campaign. Their points tally of 18 has them battling up in fourth in the Premier League standings, above the likes of Tottenham and Chelsea. However, they are yet to face a team as strong as Arsenal, and this will certainly be their toughest test.

Sunderland are unbeaten at the Stadium of Light after five Premier League games, but their fixtures have been against West Ham, Brentford, Aston Villa, Wolves, and Everton - all five of which currently sit in the bottom half of the standings.

Arsenal have a six-point gap over Man City in second, and their last loss came at Anfield back in August. Since then, the Gunners have gone 13 games undefeated, with just one draw coming against Man City.

Based on that, it could be a long evening for those Sunderland fans, and a harsh reality check could be on the cards. The Gunners racked up eight shots on target midweek, forcing five saves from Jakub Markovic. They repeated that feat against another newly-promoted side last weekend, as Martin Dubravka made five saves at Turf Moor.

Robin Roefs has been relatively busy for Sunderland this season, averaging 3.4 saves per game in the Premier League. He made six saves against Chelsea a couple of weeks back, helping the Black Cats secure three points at Stamford Bridge, while also making four saves against Man United at the start of October. Roefs has been a key figure for Sunderland in between the sticks, and will have to be on top form if Sunderland are to put up any resistance against the league leaders.

After playing the full 90 against Athletic Club in round one of the Champions League, Calafiori has not played a single minute in Europe since, as Mikel Arteta has opted to rotate his defensive options.

Calafiori does look to be the number one option at left back under Mikel Arteta this season, and he has been in impressive form. Arsenal have kept a clean sheet in each of the last four games he has started, but Calafiori has also been able to contribute at the other end of the field. The 23-year-old is averaging 1.98 shots per 90 in all competitions, landing this bet in ten out of eleven starts overall.

Calafiori is a threat from set-pieces, and his only goal this season came from a corner, while he does also pop up in good positions from open play. Additionally, six of his 18 efforts in the Premier League this season have come from outside the box.

Alongside Robin Roefs, Granit Xhaka, and Trai Hume, Noah Sadiki has started all ten Premier League games for Sunderland this season, operating in the heart of midfield. The 20-year-old has adapted seamlessly to life in the top flight since completing a move from RUSG over the summer, and has been a magnet for drawing fouls.

In fact, Sadiki ranks eleventh out of all Premier League players this season for total fouls won, with 16 infringements drawn so far. He does have a tendency to hit the deck under pressure, and buy soft free-kicks to alleviate the pressure on his side - that could be crucial against Arsenal, who are certain to dominate proceedings here, and have the lion's share of possession.

If Sadiki can invite contact to draw fouls, it will allow Sunderland to establish themselves on the ball and maintain some possession.

Mikel Arteta confirmed that the injury which forced Viktor Gyokores off at half-time against Burnley was more serious than he initially hoped, and the Swedish international missed out against Slavia Prague midweek. With Kai Havertz already occupying the treatment room, Arsenal have limited options up front, a similar story to last season.

Mikel Merino was the man to step up midweek, as he led the line for the Gunners, and to good effect too. The Spaniard bagged himself a brace in Prague, helping Arsenal cruise to a 3-0 victory. Merino does have an eye for goal - he scored a brace for Spain against Bulgaria during the October international, and netted a hat-trick against Turkey just before that.

Last season, Merino scored seven goals from his 28 Premier League appearances, but will relish the chance to start up front this weekend, looking to get on the end of crosses into the box.

Xhaka will face his former club for the first time since making his return to the Premier League, so has a bit of additional motivation to perform here.

The Swiss international had a turbulent end to his tenure at the Emirates Stadium, during which he was on the receiving end of a lot of criticism. After transferring to the Bundesliga in 2023, Xhaka helped Leverkusen achieve their first-ever league title before returning to the Premier League in the summer.

He has already established himself as a key figure at the Stadium of Light and got his first goal for the Black Cats last time out against Everton.

In recent weeks, Xhaka has shown a bit more attacking intent and has been willing to get forward, registering a shot in each of his last four matches, hitting the target in two of those.

Nordi Mukiele also completed the switch from Leverkusen to Sunderland over the summer, alongside Granit Xhaka, and has been another new signing who has hit the ground running.

Mukiele has drawn a total of eight fouls in as many Premier League starts this season, landing this bet in six of those matches. The French international was fouled twice against Everton last weekend. Even for Die Werkself, Mukiele had the impressive average of 1.14 fouls drawn per 90 in all competitions.

While Arsenal have been dominant in recent weeks, they have committed a total of 25 fouls in their last two matches against Burnley and Slavia Prague, respectively. The Gunners look to be aggressive in their press to sustain pressure, and Mukiele should find duels against Mikel Merino.

The Spaniard is averaging 2.22 fouls per 90 in all competitions this season, which is the highest of any Arsenal player.