Arsenal were unfortunate in the 2-2 draw away at Sunderland earlier this season, given that Brian Brobbey equalised in the 94th minute. Arsenal will be confident of securing maximum points this time around, given that they will have home advantage, and the Black Cats will be without their skipper. Granit Xhaka has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, and is expected to be sidelined for another couple of weeks.

Sunderland cruised to victory last time out against Burnley, but were picked apart by a struggling West Ham side before that. There has been a real dichotomy in form when Sunderland play at home, compared to away. Regis Le Bris’ men rank third out of all Premier League teams for total points accumulated on home turf, but 17th in their away games. Sunderland’s record of two wins, four draws and six losses from their 12 matches on the road is poor - they have only scored six goals.

Sunderland they face the daunting trip to the Emirates, and this game could be one-way traffic. It finished 3-0 when they faced Man City at the Etihad back in December, and the visitors barely had a sniff. Man City racked up 18 shots and three big chances worth 2.42xG, while Sunderland managed just eight shots in return.

Pep Guardiola’s men accrued a total of six corners in that game, and this bet also landed when Sunderland visited Anfield, with Liverpool managing seven corners in that one.

Sunderland are likely going to opt for quite defensive tactics, and look to soak up pressure. The Gunners should spend most of the game in their attacking third, which increases the opportunity for corners. Arsenal are averaging 5.9 corners per game at home in the Premier League this season.

Declan Rice is another player who saw plenty of involvement in the reverse fixture, as he had a total of three shots. Two of those attempts came within the opening 20 minutes, highlighting how he doesn’t hesitate to pull the trigger when space opens up for him, and this could be an optimal matchup.

If Sunderland do sit deep and invite pressure, Rice will be able to pick up some promising advanced positions in the final third. With Martin Zubimendi typically sitting deeper, the Englishman will be able to position himself further up the field, and even arrive late in the box to try and get on the end of second balls.

Rice is averaging 1.46 shots per 90 in the Premier League this season, rising to 1.7 when playing at the Emirates. For a midfielder, that is an impressive figure, and he has landed this selection in six of his last eight home starts in the league.

Trai Hume returned to a more natural right-wing back role against Burnley last time out, where he looked a lot more settled and confident. The 23-year-old has featured in a more advanced role at times this season, but looks set for a greater defensive responsibility against Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.

Hume accounted for four of Arsenal’s 13 infringements when these sides last met back in November, proving to be a frustrating player to come up against. He tends to go down easily under soft contact, hoping to buy his side cheap free-kicks to establish possession. Against a side like Arsenal, that could be useful, as the Gunners are likely to have the lion’s share of possession.

Hume is averaging 0.99 fouls drawn per 90 this season, and has landed this selection in each of his last five starts when playing the full 90 minutes.