Arsenal vs Sunderland Prediction: Rice Rice Baby – Declan to feed Gunners attack

Arsenal welcome Sunderland to the Emirates on Saturday afternoon (15:00 GMT) continuing their hunt for Premier League glory.

Mikel Arteta's side ended a three-game winless run last weekend against Leeds United, while Sunderland will also head to North London in high spirits after dismantling Burnley 3-0 on Monday night. Read on for my Arsenal vs Sunderland predictions, as well as the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Mikel Merino may be out for the rest of the season after sustaining a foot injury, while Bukayo Saka could also miss out here after suffering a hip issue in the warm-up at Elland Road last weekend.

Martin Odegaard missed the Carabao Cup semi-final win over Chelsea in midweek, but Mikel Arteta hopes his captain will recover in time for Saturday's contest.

As for Sunderland, former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka will not make his return to the Emirates this weekend as the Black Cats skipper is currently nursing an ankle injury.

Bertrand Traore and Joceline Ta Bi also remain on the treatment table for the visitors.

Arsenal vs Sunderland Odds

The Gunners are 1/4, giving them an implied win probability of 80%, the draw is 5/1 and Sunderland are 12/1.

Both teams to score is 13/8, and over 2.5 goals can be backed at 8/11.

Viktor Gyokeres currently leads the anytime goalscorer market at 1/1, followed by Arsenal teammate Gabriel Jesus at 6/5.

Arsenal to win and over 2.5 goals @ 5/6

Arsenal got their Premier League title bid back on track last weekend with a 4-0 win over Leeds United, snapping a three-game winless run in the process. Crucially for Arteta's side, Manchester City dropped points away at Spurs, meaning that they're now six points clear at the summit with 14 games to go.

The Gunners also booked their place in the Carabao Cup final in midweek, so they'll come into Saturday's game in high spirits.

Unsurprisingly, I'm backing an Arsenal win this weekend as they're unbeaten in 43 straight home league games against newly-promoted sides, and although Sunderland have emerged as one of the surprise packages of the season, I think the Gunners should get the job done here.

The Black Cats are winless in their last seven away trips, but I do think they can contribute to a potentially high-scoring affair at the Emirates. Sixteen of Arsenal's last 23 games across all competitions have seen over 2.5 goals land, while the same bet has been a winner in Sunderland's last four.

Declan Rice to get an assist @ 3/1

Declan Rice has been an important cog in the Arsenal machine this term and he looks well priced to turn provider on Saturday afternoon.

The former West Ham United man has provided nine assists in 31 appearances across all competitions this season. He set up goals in both Carabao Cup semi-final legs against Chelsea, as well as in the 2-1 win at home to Brighton and Hove Albion at the end of December - the last league win at the Emirates in which he featured.

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