Arsenal arrive at the Stadium of Light on 12 September 2026 as defending Premier League champions, nine points from nine in the league and one goal conceded across four matches, including a 1-0 Champions League win at Napoli on 9 September. Sunderland, back in the top flight after promotion, sit around 12th with four points.
Le Bris and Arteta have never faced each other, Le Bris having taken charge at Sunderland only in July 2024. Sunderland's form heading in is mixed: a 1-0 home win over Fulham on 30 August, a 2-1 defeat at Ipswich, a 1-1 draw at Brentford on 5 September and a 1-0 Carabao Cup win over Hull City. Arsenal have won all four of their matches across both competitions.
Sunderland are short in the attacking third. Habib Diarra is out with a hamstring problem, Romaine Mundle still recovering from meniscus surgery and Simon Adingra carrying a foot injury, stripping Le Bris of width and verticality and forcing him to lean heavily on Granit Xhaka for control and Enzo Le Fee as a creative outlet. Arsenal have their own absentees: William Saliba is out long term with a back injury not expected to resolve until around November, Jurrien Timber is a doubt and Cristhian Mosquera is questionable with a muscular problem. The centre back pairing Arteta deploys here is untested at this level so far this season and that is a genuine unknown rather than something to wave away.
Le Bris has set Sunderland up in a compact 3-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 with Kevin Danso, Dan Ballard and Xhaka forming the defensive core, Le Fee providing set piece threat and Brian Brobbey leading the line. Without Diarra, Mundle and Adingra, Sunderland lose the players who run in behind and that matters more than it might seem: Brobbey is a hold up striker rather than a runner and Le Fee operates between the lines rather than beyond the defence, so what Le Bris can threaten on the break is sharply reduced, leaving Xhaka as the primary means of breaking Arsenal's press.
Bukayo Saka, already on two goals for the season, tends to receive in tight and turn on his full back rather than arriving late into space and Martin Odegaard, who scored the winner at Napoli, finds pockets between Sunderland's two man midfield pivot before arriving late into the box. Kai Havertz leads the line and drops deep to link play, pinning centre backs and opening space for Odegaard's runs, with Declan Rice anchoring behind them. Saliba's absence means rotation at centre back, though Arsenal have conceded once in four games and the reshuffling has not visibly cost them yet.
The most interesting tactical question is whether Sunderland's wing backs can contain Saka. If Danso and Ballard hold a high line and Brobbey can occupy both centre backs long enough for Le Fee to arrive late, Sunderland have a route to goal. Arsenal's likeliest way through is getting Saka in behind Sunderland's wing back early, which would put the back three under pressure quickly.
Arsenal have won 15 of 25 meetings between the sides, most recently a 3-0 win in February 2026, though the 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light in November 2025 is a reminder that this ground has not always been straightforward for them.
Le Fee's dead ball delivery is Sunderland's likeliest route to goal. He scored a penalty against Brentford and his set piece work gives Le Bris something specific to target from corners and free kicks, which may end up being the more practical avenue given how little Sunderland are likely to create from open play against a side that has conceded once in four games.
Sunderland 1-4 Arsenal. Sunderland's two holding midfielders compress the space Odegaard wants and Danso's physicality against Havertz gives them a defensive base but three attacking absences leave Le Bris with too little to consistently threaten Arsenal's back line. A late Brobbey or Le Fee goal feels plausible once the result is settled but Saka, Odegaard and Havertz should find space once Sunderland are forced to push forward and leave gaps in behind.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
