Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v Arsenal FC - Saturday 8th November 2025 - KO 17:30

Up early and excitement levels are rising.

Can't wait to see the lads tear into them, they will do us proud today

 

Every time, every bloody time, I see this man in red and white and think WTAF!

I absolutely love that we've attracted this level of player at our club after so many years of ****e! And that includes the absolute thieves that stole a wage from us back in the old PL days.

 

Rumour has it Chris Sutton has tipped us to win. Fkn hell.

 

I reckon the abuse Xhaka received from a large section of the Arsenal crowd during that turbulent time, he would love to ram it down their throats.... Lets see, I look at this game as a free hit, no-one expecting us to get anything, we pit ourselves against the best team in England, gonna be interesting to see how we get on...Ha'way the lads

 

Safe travels. See you later at either the fans museum or the match itself.

 

Premier League predictions and best bets: Back Sunderland to snap Arsenal's winning streak
https://www.skysports.com/share/13465409

I got 8/1 on us last night. Absolute madness.

This is the best side in the league. They are top class everywhere and do me they win the league this year. They can come at you down the sides, centrally, fast or patient and they are strong on set plays. They have the best CB pairing in the world. They have a top goalkeeper. Timber is probably the best RB in the league right now.

Doesn’t define ****.

Non of us would be offended by a narrow defeat and good performance. That’s not defeatist, that’s reality, but this beautiful, determined, organised and capable team we have built, a team in the nature of our people in the region who will knuckle down when it gets tough and come alive when things are good, we aren’t a guaranteed loss to anyone.

We will give them a game. We will make it tough. We all gonna be pissed so the atmosphere will be raucous. We will stay with the lads. We will not roll over for anyone.

Oh, and we’ve got Granit Xhaka.

It’s a yardstick game. There’s levels between us over 38 games but in 90 minutes we will give them the kind of battle they don’t like and I truly believe we can get something from it.

A win looks tough but we said that at Chelsea, a score draw is what I think will happen, if we hold them 0-0 fo half an hour they tend to push more, which is what a top side like them who want the title should do. We can exploit that.

It’s a proper game. A big game. A beautiful game. I can’t wait for it and I’m sure we all the same.

They will win the league. I actually hope they do I feel they deserve one. They have several players I could watch every day and they have been great to watch at times for 3-4 years now.

Nobody leaves the SOL with a free hamper though, and I don’t give a **** who they are.

1-1 I’m going for, but could easily go for 2-1 either way.

Make us proud again lads, you do it almost weekly and we are with you.

Ha’waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

 

Gutted I can’t go to this one. Gigging in Blackhall at 8:45!!

my boy will be there in my place. The apparent “Man Utd” fan (ask @D-K, he’s not a Man Utd fan!!)

A strong performance and narrow loss wouldn’t be upsetting. Anything better would be unbelievable!!

I am setting my gear up at lunch time so I can watch the match, then make my way to the gig. There’s a few pubs in the area which will be showing it so hopefully get myself in one if them

 

Proper goosebumps!

I love that man

 

I'd imagine the amount of coverage we're getting will be really winding some people up

MERRY MACKEMS
Sunderland have come a long way since their Netflix documentary b@nter-era nadir. It was a time of turmoil. A time when TV cameras were welcomed into the Stadium of Light to record their Brentian chief executive using a cryo-chamber studiously avoided by the players whose recovery it was supposed to aid. A time the club hierarchy famously spaffed £4m on a flame-******ant Will Grigg in a deadline-day panic buy, and a time when Jack Rodwell took up residence in the treatment room on his £70,000 per week League One contract ..... etc.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/nov/07/football-daily-sunderland-granit-xhaka

 

Beat these. Man C & Liverpool draw. Not asking too much for the TOP 4 in the Premier league for these 2 results is it .

The low lifes further down the league can do what they want.

 

0-0

An all action defensive display for the ages, we cede 85% possession to Arsenal, Roefs saves a penalty, two clearances off the line by Ballard and Sadiki respectively, post and bar both hit, Ballard and Mukiele with dominating displays, Xhaka the talisman again, all players put in absolute workhorse performances. You get what you deserve, as the Joker says.

 

What a thread! fantastic stuff. Take a bow @RTB sir - pure genius.

Im nervous in a positive sort of way for this.
Im going for the draw

Hawaaaaaay

 

I know this is the match thread but I think it's worth mentioning these two games,

West Ham v Burnley
Forest V Leeds

They'll all be desperate to win and obviously only two of them can.

Forest and West Ham will be hoping their new managers will have a 'bounce' but defeats would really burst that bubble.

Leeds and Burnley know these games are their best chance of points so will be anxious. I think they'll both be in a relegation fight all season, and may go down so I'd be happy if they both won. Defeats for West Ham and Forest will really panic them and the dogfight can really begin. Two draws would be fine by me and a few cards/injuries/etc wouldn't hurt either.

Whatever the case it'll be fun watching them squirm while we're involved in the top four contest

 

Watching previous games between us and Arsenal on YouTube, it seems we did well when we had a player that had played in North London previously - Quinn. Bent, Defoe, Schwarz all scored against them

Just saying

 

First game of season for me. Looking forward to seeing what's changed at the ground and surrounds.

 

Two draws and a red card or two wouldn't go amiss.

 

A lot of money but once again shows how much nous (is that right) KLD and the group have.