Arsenal vs Sunderland: The Black Cats won’t be able to stop the Gunners from reaching the semi-finals

The first leg of the English League Cup quarter-final will be between Arsenal, former EPL resident, and current League One side Sunderland. Will the Gunners notice their opponent, or will the Black Cats bring misfortune to England’s fourth team?

Arsenal are performing very well with the modest resources they have. The Gunners have consistently scored points in matches against weaker teams (Everton are an exception to the rule) and extinguished them. That’s exactly what happened to Leeds, who were thrashed 4-1. And a week ago, Arsenal beat their direct rival for a place in the top four, West Ham, 2-0. The pathologies seem to have been left far behind. As for the English League Cup performances, the path for the London club came out easy: West Bromwich (6-0), Wimbledon (3-0) and Leeds (2-0). Yes, Arsenal have not conceded a single goal so far in this draw.

Sunderland are in England’s third strongest league competition, League One. The Black Cats are doing well there - the third place with a good chance of finishing the season higher, as they are just four points behind Rotherham. And in the English League Cup, Sunderland have managed by some miracle to avoid their EPL rivals. The likes of Port Vale, Blackpool, Wigan and Queen’s Park Rangers all came their way. Given their first-round exit from the FA Cup, it makes sense to believe that the Black Cats will make every effort to advance as far as possible in the English League Cup.

We believe that Arsenal will dry out the Black Cats even with their second team. The atmosphere in the dressing room has improved, and now all the players, including the reserves, are ready to prove to Mikel Arteta their worth and their readiness to fight for a place in the starting line-up. Therefore, we believe that the Gunners will get a win to nil over a motivated underdog. Betway gives 1.80 for this betting option.

In addition, we believe that Arsenal will bounce back over a much weaker opponent at their best. Bet365 gives 1.83 for the hosts’ Total Over 2.5 goals.

In conclusion, we assume that Arsenal will score a goal towards the end of the first half to bury the intrigue in the match. 1xbet offers 2.30 for a goal from 31 to 45 minutes, including the added time of the first half.