Tuesday night saw Arsenal notch their eighth straight clean sheet across all competitions. In blanking Slavia Praha on the Gunners matched 1889 Preston and 1920 Liverpool as the only English clubs to make a run of no goals conceded in eight consecutive matches.
A record that is over a century old has now been matched. A chance for Arsenal to break it comes Saturday at Sunderland.
Arsenal at Sunderland FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Nov. 8, Stadium of Light, Sunderland, UK
Arsenal Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Premier League Standings, Form: Arsenal FC 1st, 25 pts, WWWWW Sunderland 4th, 18 pts, WLWWD
Result Probability: Arsenal FC win 69% Draw 20% Sunderland win 11%
The last time the Gunners conceded a goal was Sept. 28 at Newcastle. Over the course of the eight game scoreless streak the North Londoners have scored 17 times, so it has been a dominating run on both ends of the pitch, or just all around, in every facet.
Arteta will obviously pick a team for the intention of winning the match; not with the main aim of breaking the record. Of course, what helps your chances of winning more than stopping the other side from scoring though!
Arsenal Predicted Starting XI at Sunderland
David Raya; Myles Lewis-Skelly, William Saliba, Cristhian Mosquera, Ben White; Ethan Nwaneri, Christian Norgaard, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino, Leandro Trossard
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN.