Arsenal vs. Sunderland - Match Preview

Outside of Blackburn boss Steve Kean, there aren't two other Premier League managers under more pressure than Arsene Wenger and Steve Bruce, whose Arsenal and Sunderland sides respectively have had hugely disappointing starts to the new season and just can't seem to get any momentum going to climb the table. The sides meet at the Emirates today in a 1.30pm live televised Sky Sports game where both managers blood pressures are likely to shoot through the roof. Arsenal currently lie in 15th position with 7 points in 7 games (and minus 6 goal difference!), Sunderland 16th with a point less. If they stay in these positions much longer it'll be a crisis point for both. Sunderland will be desperate to get some points on the board today having failed to beat any of the three newly promoted teams (which were probably outlined as 9 points they should obtain) and their fans won't need reminding they have lost to their neighbours Newcastle at home, crashed out of the League cup prematurely at Brighton, and have lost star striker Asamoah Gyan to the Middle-East. In the past fortnight Chairman Niall Quinn also bailed for a jolly holiday to promote the club internationally. None of those things have eased Sunderland's concerns about their club's freefall in 2011 having never really gotten over the hangover of New Year (though astonishingly they did finish last season in their highest spot in the Premier League for ten years) and those mass summer signings hardly impressing anyone. Bruce will be mindful that having lost his big supporter in Quinn he needs to turn it around soon but a repeat of last season's battling performance to hold out to a 0-0 draw here would be good start. For Arsenal, they need to curb the silly mistakes (especially from the defenders), sort their discipline out, find their leadership qualities and as simple as it sounds - score more goals than the opposition! That would solve a whole heap of problems!

Team News

Bacary Sagna (fractured fibula) is going to be out for three months, so young right back Carl Jenkinson will fill in at right back. Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djourou and Thomas Rosicky are on the way back to fitness and could start, though the game may come too quickly for Abou Diaby who should be back for the Carling Cup game against Bolton. Thomas Vermaelen may not even be fit for that one as he is at least two weeks away from return. 'Keeper Lukasz Fabianski has recovered from slight groin problem and could be on the bench. Nicklas Bendtner is ineligible to play for Sunderland against his parent club under terms of the loan agreement. Connor Wickham (now recovered from a groin problem) will start, Ji Dong-won may feature. Phil Bardsley is still suspended, serving the last of his four-match ban. Titus Bramble is also unavailable as the investigations into his off the field trouble haven't quite kicked in yet. Craig Gordon and Frazier Campbell are both ruled out with knee injuries. Line-ups Arsenal (from): Szczesny, Gibbs, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Song, Frimpong, Jenkinson, Ramsey, Arteta, Gervinho, Van Persie, Walcott, Fabianski, Park, Santos, Benayoun, Coquelin, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Djourou, Rosicky, Arshavin, Chamakh, Miquel, Squillaci. Sunderland (from): Mignolet, Westwood, O'Shea, Brown, Richardson, Turner, Laing, Cattermole, Gardner, Vaughan, Larsson, Colback, Elmohamady, Meyler, Sessegnon, Wickham, Ji, McClean, Cook. Prediction: 3-0 - International break will have helped Arsenal and without Bendtner, I can't see Sunderland causing too much problems up front. They will sit back and sit back and Arsenal should begin to pick them off.