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By the time Liverpool kicks off against Manchester City on Sunday, it could be 10 points behind Arsenal in the Premier League standings if the Gunners can beat Sunderland.
But a trip to Regis Le Bris' in-form team will not be easy for Mikel Arteta and his players, especially because Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli joined Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard as injury absentees this week, missing the Champions League win over Sparta Prague.
Gabriel Jesus, though, has returned to training after being out since January. "I’m thrilled to have him," Arteta said in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
"I think he’s going to add something extra to the team that we don’t have, and make sure that very soon we see him on that pitch making an impact for the team.
"It's about making the steps day by day in a different surrounding. He's been doing everything on his own; now he's got players around him, very competitive players around him, and let’s see how he copes with that.
"But he's full of energy, I love the reaction of all his teammates when he first joined us and great to have him back."
Arteta said some of the other sidelined players could be back after the international break.
"There are a lot of things that have to happen in the next two weeks and everything has to be perfect, but I think we'll be very close with most of them to be in a really strong position," he explained.
As for Sunderland, Habib Diarra (groin), Aji Alese (shoulder), Romaine Mundle (thigh), Leo Fuhr Hjelde (achilles) and Dennis Cirkin (wrist) are all set to be missing. Omar Alderete is a doubt.
In the UK, the game will be shown on Sky Sports and can be streamed via their app. In the US, it will be on NBC and its online services.
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"We have to play our best football and if we are afraid or a bit reserved against this kind of team, we'll be punished," Sunderland boss Le Bris told a news conference on Friday.
"If we're too emotional, we'll be punished. So we have to do a masterclass, we have no choice. It's a good test after 10 games in the Premier League, this game arrives in the perfect time to test us and challenge us."
On Granit Xhaka, who will come up against his old club, Le Bris added: "He's useful in different ways. His knowledge about Arsenal is important for us," Le Bris said. "We spoke together with the coaching staff all week. I think the main point is belief.
"The way he can transmit confidence to the squad, tell the players we can win something against this squad, even if they are really strong. This part is also really important."
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