Arsenal arrive at this Premier League fixture on a four-match winning streak that has stretched across both domestic and European competition, a run built on defensive solidity that has delivered three clean sheets from their last five outings. That sequence included three consecutive 1-0 victories against West Ham, Burnley and Atletico Madrid before a narrow 2-1 win at Crystal Palace and a 1-1 draw away to Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League. Across those five fixtures Arsenal have conceded just 2 goals while scoring in every match, the kind of consistency that underpins their Formatic weighted form score of 7.78 out of 10, classified as strong.

Sunderland's recent record shows greater volatility, with three wins, one draw and one defeat from their last five producing a steady form rating of 6.22 out of 10. The hosts have scored 12 goals across that sample but conceded 7, a balance that reflects both attacking threat and defensive vulnerability. Their most recent competitive outing ended in a 2-4 defeat away to Liverpool in the Premier League Summer Series, though before that they had strung together impressive results including a 3-1 win at Everton and a 2-1 home victory over Chelsea. A goalless draw at home to Manchester United and a 5-1 friendly win at York complete the sequence. Sunderland have found the net in four of their last five but managed only one clean sheet, a contrast with Arsenal's tighter defensive profile.

The head to head record over the last 10 meetings tilts heavily toward the visitors, who have won 7 and drawn 3 without a single Sunderland victory in that span. Arsenal's 3-0 win in February 2026 continued a pattern of dominance, while the most recent meeting at this venue in November 2025 ended 2-2, one of only three draws in the series. The other itemised fixtures show Arsenal winning 5-1 in December 2021, 2-0 in May 2017 and 4-1 away in October 2016. Those 10 encounters have averaged 3.0 goals per match, with both teams scoring in 5 and over 2.5 goals landing in 6, suggesting open exchanges rather than cagey affairs.

The form gap of 1.56 in Arsenal's favour combines with their unbeaten run and superior head to head record to frame the visitors as clear favourites, yet Sunderland's recent attacking output of 12 goals in five offers a route into the fixture. Arsenal have conceded in two of their last five, including that draw in Paris, and Sunderland have scored in four of five, so the hosts carry genuine goal threat despite the historical imbalance. The key tension lies between Arsenal's clean sheet discipline and Sunderland's ability to breach defences on home turf, a contest likely decided by whether the visitors can replicate the defensive control that produced three shutouts in their last five or whether Sunderland's sharper attacking edge from the Chelsea and Everton wins finds a way through.