LEE CATTERMOLE thinks Sunderland can come away from the Emirates Stadium with a positive result tomorrow - even without asking Nicklas Bendtner to be a spy in the Arsenal camp.

Bendtner, on loan at the Stadium of Light until the end of the season, is unable to face his parent club under the rules laid down by the Premier League following his season long move.

But the Denmark international, who helped his country qualify for Euro 2012 by defeating Portugal on Tuesday night, is still in touch with a number of his former team-mates at Arsenal and will have already sent a few texts ahead of the fixture.

However, with the banter flying around between Bendtner and his Gunners' friends, Cattermole is convinced that, such is the spotlight on the Premier League, the Sunderland squad already have a good idea about what they will face.

Arsenal have only won twice in the top-flight this season, sitting just a place and a point above the Black Cats, but Cattermole thinks an Arsene Wenger team remains something to be wary of.

"Maybe Nicklas will get to know the team the day before!" said Cattermole. "But there's not many secrets in the Premier League now. You watch the games for weeks and weeks, you know plenty.

"Even with the team on the day, we get it an hour before the game anyway and it's more about the style of a team's play than the players who are in it."We know how Arsenal will play, so we have to go there with our game plan and stick to it. Hopefully, we'll be resilient. If our main intention is to keep a clean sheet, it'll give us a good chance to win the game."

With Robin van Persie likely to be flanked by the attacking verve of Andrey Arshavin and Theo Walcott, there is plenty for Sunderland to think about - even if Arsenal's problems have been well documented this season.

Cattermole, whose tenacity in the middle could be crucial, has revealed there will be a conscious decision to counter-attack, but feels a surprise result could be on the cards to compound Wenger's misery.

"We can go there and not necessarily relax, but take the ball, be open and express ourselves," said Cattermole, knowing a defeat could heap more pressure on the squad to win at Bolton next weekend.

"Sometimes that works better. We're not at home, so there shouldn't really be any tension. We're not playing, say, a Norwich or a QPR, where all the fans will be expecting a performance - people will probably be expecting a 4-0 or a 5-0.

"We're not thinking like that, but we can set up our strategy and make it where it is up to Arsenal to come and beat us. Sometimes, that can work in your favour."

Arsenal's Dutch striker van Persie has already identified one of his former team-mates, Seb Larsson, as a real threat to a Gunners defence that has already conceded 16 goals in the Premier League.

The Holland international was given a difficult night on Tuesday when Larsson helped Sweden to a 3-2 win which sealed a place at Euro 2012 as the best runners-up from the qualifying groups.

Van Persie said: "Seb's become a really good player, I like him. He worked hard on Tuesday and we were up against each other the whole game. I was playing right-midfield and he was at left-wing. But he was tracking back the whole game, so I was playing against two men basically.

"I kept hoping he would stay forward so I could go one on one with the defender but he kept coming back. That shows how hard he worked and how physically fit he is.

"Besides that, he is one of the best in the Premier League in my opinion and he's a really good crosser too. He's a major asset for Sunderland. It will be a really big test against them, but I'm confident we can do it at home."