Arsenal vs Sunderland – Preview

Arsenal take on Sunderland in their first game of the new season tomorrow afternoon. The Gunners will be looking to improve on last season’s 3rd place finish and get off to a better start to the one they had last year. Arsenal were 17th at the end of August with just 1 point and had just lost 8-2 to Manchester United. A win in any of Arsenal’s first three games will ensure a better start to the season than last year.

Arsenal will see Sunderland as opposition that they can certainly beat, but know that they are capable of causing an upset tomorrow. Last season the sides met 3 times. Arsenal won twice and Sunderland won once. Arsenal recorded a 2-1 win in the home fixture last October thanks to two goals from the recently departed Robin Van Persie. Arsenal won by the same scoreline in the reverse fixture in February thanks to goals from Aaron Ramsey and a last minute winner by Thierry Henry. However, one week later they played the exact same fixture, this time in an FA Cup tie and Sunderland got their revenge on the Gunners by beating them 2-0.

Bacary Sagna, Tomas Rosicky, Jack Wilshere and Emmanuel Frimpong are all definitely ruled out of playing in this fixture with injuries they have had for a while now, whilst Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Laurent Koscielny will both miss out tomorrow as well. The two had to withdraw from their respective national sides friendly games due to their injuries they picked up in last week’s win over Cologne. The pair do however have a chance to play against Stoke the following week.

Theo Walcott also pulled out of international duty with a thigh injury, but it is believed that he will be ok to play tomorrow. Mikel Arteta is fit to play too having been a doubt. Alex Song and Santi Cazorla are having fitness tests today. Song is believed to have a knock that is troubling him, whilst some have suggested his possible transfer to Barcelona is near to being completed, so they say that’s why he is unlikely to play. Cazorla was on international duty with Spain in midweek, finding the net in their win over Puerto Rico. The reason he is a doubt is because he travelled so far for that game and with the Sunderland game just a few days later, Wenger isn’t sure whether to play him or leave him on the bench / rule him out.

Sunderland will look to former Tottenham striker Louis Saha to start for them up front tomorrow it seems.  Saha has scored on his last two visits to the Emirates Stadium, but has also been on the losing team in both games. He scored Spurs’ first goal in their 5-2 defeat at the Emirates in February. Saha only just joined them yesterday, but they have a need for a striker up there and have failed in their attempts to prise Steven Fletcher away from Wolves. Stephane Sessengnon is a doubt due to an ankle problem and Wes Brown, Phil Bardsley and David Vaughan are likely to miss out on playing due to injuries.

After a difficult week at the club, a win is a must. If Arsenal get off to a bad start tomorrow, it could prove costly. The one thing you can say about last year is that they had a bad start, but they also had three tough fixtures. They got a point away to Newcastle, which proved to be a good result given the season that they had, they lost 2-0 at home to Liverpool and lost 8-2 to Man United. You can say that all three of those games were against big clubs. Arsenal’s first three games this year are Sunderland at home, Stoke away and Liverpool away. Arsenal picked up 7 points out of a possible 9 in those three fixtures last season, so they really should be looking for a similar return this time around, even with Van Persie gone.

Hopefully we get to see all three of our new boys in action tomorrow, even if Cazorla can’t start, it would be good to see him. Both strikers were a doubt at one stage given the fact they only featured in just one friendly and joined up with the team late having both been involved at this summer’s European Championships. It must be said though, both Giroud and Podolski looked sharp last Sunday, Podolski in particular, having netted twice. Giroud on another day could have had a hat-trick. Let’s hope they can build on that and have a great season with the club.

I’m delighted that the football season is back. The few months that they have off are always hard, but we have been helped this year with first of all the Euros, second of all the Olympics and thirdly of course we still had pre-season. There’s nothing quite like competitive club football though and I really hope we can do well this year and win something.

For the first time of this new season…. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!!!!