Arsenal vs Sunderland - Premier League preview and odds

Published on: 16/05/2017

Arsenal vs Sunderland - Premier League preview and odds

May 16, 2017 19:45pm - Emirates Stadium

Premier League

Only a win will do for the Champions League-chasing Arsenal when they welcome Premier League drop-outs Sunderland to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.

Top-four finish and cup glory still a possibility for Arsneal

Arsenal will not give up in their quest to secure top-flight European football for the 21st-straight season. However, their destiny remains out of their own hands with Manchester City and Liverpool both holding an advantage. As well as chsing down a place in the top four, they also have an FA Cup final against league champions Chelsea to look forward to.

With boss Arsene Wenger still lacking the support of a large section of the fanbase, the next couple of weeks could play a major part in deciding the Frenchman`s future. On paper, Tuesday night`s game should be a walk in the park for the North Londoners as they face an already-relegated side that has only beaten them twice in the last 29 meetings.

Meanwhile, Sunderland fans could be forgiven for questioning what the Gunners` faithful are moaning about. After years of great escapes, they have finally dropped to the second tier in the most depressing of fashions. Under the guidance or former Manchester United manager David Moyes, the Black Cats have won just six games and conceded over 60 goals. Even a win in London would do little to lift the spirits of a club seemingly in perpetual crisis.

To class Sunderland as poor is an understatement, they have performed lesser than the sum of their parts and have looked woeful for the best part of the season. Their lacklustre home defeat against Swansea City last time out typified their overall level this term.

The Mackems have lost nine of their last 12 matches, failing to score in 10 of them. They have never strayed from their tactic of trying to shut teams out and strike on the counter-attack despite the fact that this approach has reaped little success all term.

Team news

Arsenal:

Injured - Kieran Gibbs (calf strain), Alexis Sanchez (thigh), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (tight hamstring), Santi Cazorla (achillies).

Sunderland:

Injured - Victor Anichebe (knock), Jason Denayer (knock), Jan Kirchhoff (cartilage), Duncan Watmore (ACL), Paddy McNair (knee).

Doubtful - Lee Cattermole (achillies), George Honeyman (back), Steven Pienaar (ankle).

Recent form (League)

Arsenal: WWWLW

Sunderland: LWLLD

Betting odds and tips

A Champions League spot still remains a possibility for Arsenal and a win on Tuesday would keep the pressure on rivals Manchester City and Liverpool. With Sunderland just here to make up the numbers, the home side could run riot against their opponents. In three of the last four meetings between the side in all competitions, Arsenal have scored three or more goals. With little value available in this game, a small bet on Over 3.5 Goals looks the most tempting proposition.

You can back Over 3.5 Goals at 8/11 with Bet365.

By Neil Morris

Published on: 16/05/2017

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (16/05/2017 05:04:30) but are subject to change.