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Arsenal fans, after watching the game against Chelsea during the week, would probably need something more exciting.
Even though they won against Chelsea and booked their ticket to Wembley to face Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, it was clear that the game in general was a snooze fest, and Arsenal fans needed a literal wake-up call a few minutes before they scored.
Be that as it may, they got the win, and the results are what matter. They keep managers in jobs, and players in squads, so it does not really matter how these players play as long as they win games and titles, but as any fan would, Arsenal fans would want more excitement.
The game against Sunderland would be the perfect way for Arteta and his men to do exactly that.
Mikel Arteta cannot fall into a painfully obvious trap this weekend
It is a huge, huge game in the Premier League, and even though Sunderland are doing really well this season, it is not because of their league positions that the game is as huge as it is.
Manchester City play Liverpool a day later, which gives Arsenal the perfect chance to go a few extra points clear at the top of the table.
The problem is, however, Arteta could run into a similar issue that he has run into in the past, and he must be wary of that.
Arteta played his best XI against Chelsea. He did not really need to, because all he needed was a draw. He could have benched a couple of his star men, just to give them some more rest.
Now, though, he cannot do that. Arteta cannot bench his players against Sunderland because they are coming off a hard-fought mid-week win over Chelsea. There is no way that should be happening, purely because of the importance of this game.
If Arteta rests a few of his players and Arsenal end up drawing the game at The Emirates instead of gaining three full points, then a City draw or loss would mean another missed chance to go eight or nine points clear, depending on the result.
It needs to be mentioned that in the reverse fixture, Arsenal did drop points, so it is definitely not an easy task.
Obviously, everything depends on City losing or drawing to Liverpool, but even if they win, it is important for Arteta to play his strongest XI because he would not want to lose his firm grip on the Premier League trophy.