Sunderland

Sunderland improved a lot as their game went on against Everton, but they got a real good going-over in the early stages.

They cannot afford to start like that against Arsenal, who have superior players and are such a threat from set-pieces too.

The Gunners don't have to play well to win, they just grind away until they find a way through.

Mikel Arteta's side weren't pretty when they beat Slavia Prague in the Champions League but they don't care, and why should they?

Some of the football they play might get people asking whether that is the way you'd want to win a title, but do you think the Arsenal players will be bothered when they are popping open the champagne?

It is about knowing how to do it, not how you do it.

There is a lot of the old '1-0 to the Arsenal' in this current Gunners team, although I do expect them to take more goals off other teams at times.

It is at the back where they are so strong.

Can Sunderland cause them problems? Absolutely, but I think this latest Arsenal win will come off the back of another Arsenal clean sheet.

Sutton's prediction: 0-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Tottenham v Manchester United (12:30)

• Everton v Fulham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• West Ham v Burnley - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Sunderland v Arsenal (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Chelsea v Wolves (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Everton v Fulham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Sunderland v Arsenal", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

High-flying Sunderland face their biggest test to date as they host league leaders Arsenal at the Stadium of Light on Saturday (17:30 GMT). BBC Sport explores some key themes surrounding this fixture.

Sunderland's Xhaka set for emotional reunion

Promoted Sunderland's exceptional start to this Premier League campaign has been well documented.

Their total of 18 points from the opening 10 games is the best return by a newly promoted side for 17 years.

That side was Hull City in 2008-09, who amassed 20 points from their first 10 matches before an alarming drop in form. Phil Brown's team collected a meagre 15 from their remaining 28 fixtures and ended the season just a point above the relegation zone in 17th.

Hull's sharp decline is a reminder of the Premier League's unforgiving nature and Saturday's clash with Arsenal is likely to be the toughest test yet for Regis Le Bris and his players.

Much of the focus this weekend will be on midfielder Granit Xhaka, as the 33-year-old – who scored his first Sunderland goal in the 1-1 draw with Everton on Monday night – is set to face his former club this weekend.

Xhaka made 225 Premier League appearances for the Gunners between 2016 and 2023, with 113 of those coming under their current boss Mikel Arteta. The Swiss international is one of just nine players to represent both clubs in the division, including Nicklas Bendtner and Steve Bould.

Europe's best defence

Arsenal's rise to the top of the Premier League table has primarily been built on defence.

Their clean sheet in the 3-0 win at Slavia Prague on Tuesday night was their eighth in a row in all competitions, equalling a 122-year-old club record.

The previous feat was achieved by Woolwich Arsenal in 1903 and it was between seasons, which makes this current run all the more impressive.

Their past four wins have all come without conceding and the Gunners last won five successive league games without letting in a goal some 38 years ago under George Graham.

The Gunners have the best defensive record of any team in Europe's top five leagues this term, with the most shut-outs, the fewest goals conceded and fewest shots on target faced per game.

Mikel Arteta's side have conceded only 19 shots on target in the Premier League this season, including just one across their last four matches. Their average of 1.9 shots on target faced per game is the lowest since Opta's records began in 2003-04.

The league leaders have a watertight defence, one of the deepest squads in Europe and have scored eight top-flight goals from corners this season – the most ever by a side in their first 10 games of a season.

Recent history is also on their side in this fixture. The Gunners are unbeaten in their past 15 Premier League meetings with Sunderland, winning 10 and drawing five.

Holly Bacon
BBC Sport journalist

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light (kick-off 17:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Le Bris says Omar Alderete will not be available this weekend and that it's "not really serious" but the club have followed the concussion protocol which is "really strict". The Sunderland boss says he will probably be able to get some minutes with Paraguay and get ready for the Fulham game. The defender was concussed against Wolves on 18 October.

• He confirmed there are no fresh injury concerns and provided an update on Habib Diarra's recovery. He said the Senegal international is "in a good place" but they won't rush the process because "it is an important injury".

• On his side's character and coming from behind in games, Le Bris said: "We can keep our consistency even if something is going wrong. In this Premier League with a young squad it's something which is very positive. I think we have this character, this spirit to stay in the game and stay composed, try and fight until the end - which is a motto for us. The other side, this league is really demanding so it is not a surprise to concede a goal."

• Le Bris says the confidence Granit Xhaka transmits to the squad is really important and that it is "a really good opportunity" for Sunderland to have a player like him because "the club wants to grow and you need to set the standards".

• More on the qualities of Xhaka, who faces his former club this weekend: "We spoke this week about his leadership and we agreed that one of the main strengths of a leader is to create another leader and he is doing this every day".

• Le Bris believes the game against Arsenal has arrived at "the perfect time" to test them. He added: "We have to play our best football and if we are afraid or a bit reserved against this kind of team we will be punished. If we are too emotional we will be punished. We have to do a masterclass - no choice!"

• On whether they're trying to find a way to stop Arsenal getting corners, Le Bris joked: "I don't know if it's possible."

Hear more from Regis le Bris on BBC Sounds

Listen to Sunderland v Arsenal on Radio 5 Live via BBC Sounds here from 17:30 GMT on Saturday

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

How to follow the Premier League on the BBC this weekend

Image source, Getty Images

With the countdown to the Celebrity Traitors final under way, we asked you which Sunderland player or manager - past or present - would make the best traitor and faithful.

Here are some of your comments:

Joe: Granit Xhaka could be a faithful, traitor or take over from Claudia... because he's Xhaka.

Simon: Only one candidate for traitor - Paolo di Canio. And faithful? Jimmy Montgomery, Kevin Ball or Gary Bennett maybe?

Chris: Luke O'Nien would make a good faithful because of his loyalty and he is a team player. And traitor would be Jack Colback for the way he left for Newcastle - no loyalty.

Simon: The best traitor would be David Moyes for many, many obvious reasons...

You can watch the final of The Celebrity Traitors live from 21:00 GMT on BBC iPlayer

Image source, BBC/Studio Lambert

Challenges. Leaders and followers. Tactics. Second guessing and wondering where to turn next.

This could be any game of football in the Premier League this weekend.

It is also the plot to any episode of BBC's hit show - The Traitors.

The countdown to the end game of the Celebrity series is on, but, while we wait for that, we want to know which Sunderland player (or manager) - past or present - you think would make the best traitor, and who would be more suited to the role of a faithful.

Was it the way they could appear at the back post without anyone noticing? Or could they stop anybody getting past them?

Get in touch with your choices and the reasons why here

The Celebrity Traitors final will air on Thursday, 6 November on BBC One and iPlayer

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

How much difference can a point make at this stage of the season?

Potentially, quite a lot. Particularly so for those promoted sides trying to keep themselves in the Premier League for another year.

In the past 10 seasons, clubs who have come up from the Championship have a 100% record of staying up if they have gathered 11 points or more after 10 games.

The most recent occasion that a promoted side had 11 or more points after that number of matches and was relegated was Cardiff in 2013-14. They were 12th with 12 points after 10 games but ultimately finished bottom with 30 points.

This will be music to the ears of fans of Leeds United and Sunderland, with the Whites currently sitting on that magic number and four points clear of the relegation zone, despite a heavy defeat at Brighton on Saturday.

The Black Cats, in fact, might even find themselves already looking up rather than down after their flying start to life back in the top flight.

Regis le Bris' side currently find themselves fourth, separated from Liverpool in third by just goal difference.

With 18 points, Sunderland would have to make unwanted history to find themselves back in the Championship by becoming the first team to be relegated after picking up that number of points after 10 games.

Although it was unlikely against the league leaders, fellow promoted side Burnley could have also reached the 11-point mark if they had managed to take something against Arsenal on Saturday, but defeat has left them on the edge of that with 10 points.

Chances of survival drop quite drastically for teams below the 11-point threshold, with just 20% of sides on eight to 10 points after 10 games staying up since 2015-16.

With promoted clubs having struggled to break the Premier League mould in recent campaigns, can this season's trio turn that tide? It is a promising start.

Stats and graphics provided by BBC Sport statistician Chris Collinson

Gavin Henderson
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

I think it sums up just how far Sunderland have come in such a short space of time that I sit here writing this feeling disappointed that we are not currently sitting second in the Premier League table.

While a win over Everton would have taken us there, we had to settle for a draw and we find ourselves in a lowly fourth place. Woe is me!

In all seriousness, the standards at this club have been raised to such a degree that not being second is genuinely irritating.

After the game, Granit Xhaka spoke about how he felt that training the day before the game was not the best and had maybe contributed to our poor start against the Toffees. He is a born winner and, as such, will not tolerate "average" from himself nor his team-mates, and that is music to my ears.

Thankfully, we recovered well and from about the 25th minute onwards, Sunderland were clearly the better team. We dominated the ball, got on top in the moments that mattered and it is to Everton's credit that they managed to hold us off after such a sustained spell of pressure.

Xhaka himself led the comeback with a rather fortunate goal just after half-time, and had the VAR officials done their jobs, we would have been awarded a penalty for a handball from Michael Keane, which would have given us a chance to net a second of the night and possibly a winner.

I have to ask - what is the point in VAR if it is not going to look at decisions like that one properly and then refer them to the referee? He should have been asked to take a second, look at it on the monitor, as I have no doubt he would have given Sunderland a penalty.

If you flip it, had the referee awarded the handball, there is no way that VAR would have stepped in and told him he had made the wrong decision.

It is a shame we are not going into the Arsenal game in second as that would have made it a top-of-the-table fixture, but it is what it is - really, league position is not all that important at this stage and really it is about performances.

If the Sunderland that played the first 25 minutes against Everton shows up against Arsenal, they will get trounced, but if the version of our team that played out the rest of the game turns up, we will give the Gunners a really good game and I actually fancy us to get something.

They have not conceded many yet this season, but we are a strong and physical side like they are and I am really interested in seeing us pit ourselves against them, especially given they have gone to a more direct style as they strive to win their first Premier League title in a very long time.

Onwards and upwards - we're in a really good place right now... fourth place.

Find more from Gavin Henderson at Roker Report, external

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Monday's Premier League game between Everton and Sunderland.

Here are some of your comments:

Nick: A shame not to win but to dominate like that in a Premier League match is a good sign. Mainly we've been playing on the counter attack, so to be on the front foot so easily shows how far we have come already.

Dean: The game completely turned on the Barry miss after around 30 minutes. It seemed the confidence drained from Everton after their striker issues all season. The Toffees could have miraculously nicked it in added time but Alcaraz made the wrong choice. In the end, a point apiece was a fair result.

Michael: As a lifelong Sunderland supporter, having seen Brian Clough play, this team and management is among the very best, ranking with the 1973 or Peter Reid's Quinn/Phillips teams. The differentiation is the calm and organised management at all levels, researching talent and improving on it - and appreciating the supporters by not pricing them out. I am actually looking forward to the Africa Cup of Nations to see what some of the best players from last year can do in the Premier League.

Lambert: They looked anxious and like they were feeling the pressure of their excellent start for the first time, particularly in the face of Everton's strong opening. Fantastic effort to bring it back though. Xhaka and Sadiki, who had a forgettable first half, were terrific in the second. 1-1 was fair.

Lee: Solid point. Stadium of Light remains a fortress for us and it was great to see us come from behind to take something from the game, again.

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland captain and player of the match Granit Xhaka, speaking to Sky Sports after the 1-1 draw with Everton: "To be honest, we lost the three points today in the first 20/25 minutes in my opinion, sloppy on the ball, too many mistakes, easy mistakes.

"At this level, you get punished but second half was very, very good. A lot of emotions. We create a lot of chances. With a bit more luck, we win this game, but in the end we take one point."

Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris on captain Granit Xhaka: "He's really important because we have many young players and many new players in this league.

"They don't know the condition and one player like Granit, with his previous experiences, is really important for us. He has this quality to score.

"I'm happy to have this kind of player. He wants to play football, he wants to be competitive, he's always connected with the game and he sets the standards."

Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris speaking after the 1-1 draw with Everton: "We have to say that we didn't start well, or our opponents started very well. They dominated the start of the game.

"Because of our turnovers we were able to feed their dynamic. They have many players to exploit with counter attacks.

"It was more because of our weakness at that minute rather than the balance of the game.

"Later we changed the dynamic, we were more composed on the ball, dominated the game and got an early goal in the second half.

"We finished the first half well, we kept going but it's still important to score. You can be dominant but if you don't score then your opponent can wait for their moment.

"The goal was very important."

On the midfield partnership between Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki and what he has to do for their relationship: "It's easy with good players, you don't have to do much.

"Game model, game plan, then manage the game because they are smart and very good with the ball.

"It's always easier with these kind of players."

On appeals for a penalty because of a handball in the second half: "I didn't review the action, but on the bench they told me it was a pen.

"I don't know, we'll see later."

• Did you know? Sunderland have 18 points from their opening 10 Premier League games this season (W5 D3 L2), the most by a newly promoted side since Hull City in 2008-09 (20).

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka has been a sensational summer signing for Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen, leading the way in a whole list of statistics for the team.

And now he has a goal to add to that after another hugely impressive performance in the 1-1 draw with Everton

But this was a team effort and they were unlucky not to win, which would have taken them second.

It was a remarkable in-game turnaround as they were being completely overrun, losing their heads and could have been behind by more with 30 minutes on the clock.

But between the 28th and 85th minutes they had all 16 shots.

Not many were clear-cut efforts admittedly - there were few moments where you felt they had to score - but they have now come from losing positions to grab eight points this season.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Sunderland's performance

What did you make of Everton's display?

Come back on Tuesday for a selection of your replies

Sunderland are unchanged from the side who beat Chelsea 2-1 last time out.

Sunderland XI: Roefs, Hume, Mukiele, Ballard, Geertruida, Mandava, Traore, Xhaka, Sadiki, Le Fee, Isidor. Subs: Patterson, Neil, Talbi, Brobbey, Rigg, Mayenda, O'Nien, Adingra, Masuaku.

• Follow the action live

One change for Everton from their 3-0 loss to Tottenham as Thierno Barry replaces Beto up top.

Everton XI: Pickford, O'Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Gueye, Garner, Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish, Barry. Subs: Travers, McNeil, Beto, Dibling, Coleman, Alcaraz, Rohl, Aznou, Iroegbunam.

Everton's Jordan Pickford tells Kelly Somers what it will be like to face his boyhood club Sunderland for the first time since swapping Wearside for Merseyside in 2017.

Football Focus pundits Nedum Onuoha and Ellen White look at what Nordi Mukiele has brought to Sunderland at both ends of the pitch, ahead of their game with Everton on Monday.

I'm torn here because I'm always wrong about Sunderland, and I know that means I've got a large fanbase on Wearside.

Because of that, I don't want to jinx the Black Cats by saying they will win... but it is also hard to make a case for Everton getting anything.

My 606 co-host Roman Kemp said Hill-Dickinson Stadium will be a fortress for them this season, but Tottenham didn't have too much trouble there last Sunday in their 3-0 win.

David Moyes' side really need to respond after that defeat but what he needs more than anything, as he goes back to one of his former clubs, is a finisher.

Beto misses so many chances but I'm backing him to put his boots on the right feet this week and score to grab his side a point.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Sunderland have equalled their best start to a Premier League season and next they host an Everton team who have won just once in six matches.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes going into Monday's game at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland's superlative start

Sunderland head into match round 10 having made their joint-best start to a Premier League season.

Seventeen points from nine games equals the efforts of the 1999-2000 side of Peter Reid, who went on to finish seventh, and represents the sixth-best start by any promoted side in Premier League history.

On this occasion, the mastermind of Sunderland's excellent start has been Regis le Bris. The 49-year-old has confounded expectations since he was appointed in July 2024 as an unheralded replacement for Michael Beale.

Le Bris had just been relegated from Ligue 1 with Lorient in his previous role but proved to be an immediate success on Wearside, ending Sunderland's eight-year exile from the top flight by beating Sheffield United in the play-off final and then guiding his side to the lofty heights of the Premier League's top four.

One reason for Sunderland's great start is the relentless running of their two central midfielders - Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki have covered more ground than any other players in the Premier League this season.

The pair cost Sunderland £28m this summer - £13m for Xhaka, £15m for Sadiki – which already looks to be a real bargain for players so integral to Sunderland's strong start.

Toffees coming unstuck in attack

Sunderland next face an Everton side who have dropped off following a positive start of their own.

The Toffees have won just one of their last six Premier League games, losing 2-0 against Manchester City and 3-0 against Tottenham in their ast two outings.

Everton's failure to score in those matches is the latest sign of a wider malaise. While Everton were successful in recruiting the likes of Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall during the summer, the Merseysider's squad still lacks an elite centre forward.

Beto and Thierno Barry, David Moyes' current two options at number nine, have scored once between them in 18 Premier League appearances.

Grealish currently tops the Premier League rankings for creating chances from open play (19) but as a team, Everton simply aren't taking those chances.

They have scored nine goals from an expected goals tally of 12.4 , with only Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace underperforming to a greater extent in front of goal.

The Toffees have already lost at promoted Leeds this season and another defeat at the Stadium of Light would consign Everton to three successive losses under Moyes for the first time since October 2011, while they haven't lost three in a row under the Scotsman without scoring in 20 years.

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has been speaking to the media before Monday's Premier League game against Everton at the Stadium of Light (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Peru defender Omar Alderete is "getting better" after missing the win over Chelsea with concussion and trained with the club on Friday

• On the important role captain Granit Xhaka plays in making team-mates believe they can compete in the Premier League: "He leads by example and gives this faith and hope. When we play away against Chelsea he believes we can win and he shows it. He tells it - in the dressing room and everywhere. So you want to believe that it's possible, you want to follow him."

• On empowering his players: "As a coach you do not want to be the main man. That is not my purpose. I want to give knowledge, power and responsibility to the squad. We have players on the pitch to manage micro situations. We are improving our level and are now able to be more proactive, flexible and adaptive to solve and fix problems and to size up opportunities as well."

• Opponents Everton are "doing well" and are "a good example" for Sunderland: "They are a bit inconsistent but with the ability to score and to win against everyone, I think."

• Why David Moyes struggled during his time as Sunderland manager: "Sometimes you have different successes and sometimes you struggle and have to deal with different challenges. From his background and career, if you stay at that level you need to have qualities and I think that is the case."

• On competing in the Premier League: "It's the best league in the world. I enjoy every game. I enjoy the managers. I enjoy the stadiums, I enjoy everything. We know the dynamic is really positive. Consistency is probably the main word. You can be competitive over a short period but over the full league is totally different. So this will be our next challenge."

• On Sunderland's target: "It's important to be on 17 points. We have this target in our mind. If we can get to that stage early it is much better, but we don't know the future at the minute."

• On being fourth and a target for Premier League opponents: "I don't think any opponent so far thought it was easy to win against a Premier League team. If you are in this part of the table, the opponent starts to think they should be really aware and alert that it will be tough. So we will see."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Hear more from Le Bris talking to the BBC's Nick Barnes on BBC Sounds

This - it seems - is the season of the set piece.

The Premier League debates are more about dead balls than ever before, with some sides enjoying immense success from corner kicks, throw ins or well-worked free-kicks.

What fine timing then for BBC Sport to launch a column with former manager Tony Pulis, a man who seemed to finely extract the fine margins from the game.

You can take in Tony's column on set pieces here