Sunderland manager Steve Bruce expects a 40,000-plus home support to create an intimidating atmosphere against Arsenal today
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce expects a 40,000-plus home support to create an intimidating atmosphere against Arsenal todayArsenal manager Arsene Wenger watched his side beat SC Braga 6-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday and then revealed he expected to dream of nothing but Saturday's trip to Sunderland.
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| Sunderland manager Steve Bruce |
The Frenchman was only half-joking as the Gunners have found it difficult to fight on two fronts in recent seasons, although they will travel to the north-east on the back of three straight Premier League successes.
Arsenal have struggled at the Stadium of Light on their last two visits, earning a point with an injury-time Cesc Fabregas goal in 2008 before suffering a 1-0 defeat thanks to Darren Bent's winner last November.
Sunderland have a formidable home record -- they have lost just once, to Manchester United, in the past nine months -- and manager Steve Bruce has called on an expected 40,000-plus crowd to create another intimidating atmosphere after supporters played a significant role in last month's 1-0 win over big-spending Manchester City.
"The fans can make all the difference for us," Bruce said. "They certainly did against City, and what an atmosphere it was.
"They've made the Stadium of Light one of the most intimidating places to come for away games and we need to make full use of that advantage. It'd be great to see a packed stadium rocking and I'd urge our fans to get down.
Wenger, meanwhile,u00a0 was hopeful his side, who have not won a major trophy since 2005, would be able to improve on that record in this weekend's match.
"Everywhere we go we try to win," he said. "It will be a big game, but we'll be focused," Wenger said.
Bruce is expected to hand a full debut to 13 million pounds (20 million dollars) record signing Asamoah Gyan, who came off the bench to score at Wigan last week.
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