Sunderland v Arsenal: Here's how to back imperious Gunners to win again at odds-against

Sunderland well placed to avoid second-season syndrome

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Saturday 12 September, 20:00
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Often when teams overachieve, they are picked apart by clubs higher in the food chain. Thankfully for fans of Sunderland, that hasn't happened to the Black Cats, and if anything the Wearsiders look stronger than they did before the window opened. The deadline day signing of thrilling Lyon winger Malick Fofana has given them a player of enormous potential, and the spine of the team remains intact. Perhaps most importantly, influential midfield general Granit Xhaka was kept out of Chelsea's clutches.

Sunderland lost to Ipswich on the opening weekend of the season, but since then they have edged out Fulham and taken a deserved point at Brentford. Given that Regis Le Bris has a genuine chance of taking the team deep in the Europa League this season, getting Premier League points on the board as soon as possible is a must.

The bedrock of Sunderland's Premier League success in the last year or so has been their home form. They have won both competitive home matches this term, and last season they only lost at home to Liverpool, Brighton, Fulham and Nottingham Forest. Arsenal were held to a draw, as were both Manchester giants, and there were wins over Tottenham and Chelsea.

Romaine Mundle and Habib Diarra are still out after picking up injuries against Fulham. Diarra is likely to return just after the international break, but youngster Mundle could miss most of the remainder of 2026 with a knee injury.

Gunners have started the season like champions

There are many examples across sport of teams that strived to be champions for years, and when they finally reached the top of the mountain it became a lot easier to do it again. That feels like the case for Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, who were forced into the runners-up spot in the Premier League in three consecutive campaigns before finally securing the crown last season.

Now Arsenal have the confidence and swagger of champions. They pulverized Manchester City in the Community Shield in Cardiff, delivered a footballing lesson to Coventry City and then produced a classic away performance in a 1-0 success at Aston Villa. Although it took a while for Arsenal's breakthrough to arrive at Villa Park, once it did, the Gunners never seriously looked likely to surrender their advantage.

Even when the North London giants did finally concede a goal, leaking a second-minute opener against Chelsea, they still had the wherewithal to recover and secure a deserved 2-1 win. Martin Odegaard fired in a beautifully constructed winner, as Christos Tzolis' clever pass was dummied by Kai Havertz, and the Norwegian skipper fired home.

Odegaard was also the matchwinner on Wednesday night as Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory at Napoli in their Champions League opener. The first half was a bit more open and chaotic than either coach would have liked, but after the break Arsenal took a grip of the game, and it was no surprise when Odegaard superbly lashed home the winner from range. The former Real Madrid midfielder looks razor-sharp after helping Norway reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup, a tournament in which he came up with four assists.

At time of writing, Jurrien Timber and Cristhian Mosquera were pushing to return from injury, but William Saliba is still on the sidelines.

Odegaard part of 23/202.15 Bet Builder

Despite Sunderland's decent start to the season and their fine home form, I'm backing the champions to pick up maximum points. Arsenal have won all five competitive matches so far, including gritty 1-0 successes at Aston Villa and Napoli.

Therefore, I'll back Arsenal to win, Under 3.5 Goals and captain Martin Odegaard to create three shots at 23/202.15 on the Bet Builder. The Norwegian is in sensational creative form, and with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Christos Tzolis and Kai Havertz around him, I can see him pulling the strings and setting up his teammates.

Arsenal's attacking stars can land OddsBoost

I'm also drawn to the 6/42.50 OddsBoost on offer for Odegaard and Kai Havertz to have a shot on target each. German international Havertz has had a shot on target in all four of his competitive starts this term, while Odegaard has hit the target in four of his five starts.

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