Thomas Vermaelen has insisted that the current Arsenal side has the potential to beat any other team.

The Gunners, who are currently in sixth place in the Premier League table, travel to the Stadium of Light on Saturday to face Sunderland.

"This team has a lot of potential. It's a case of everybody staying fit," Vermaelen told the club's official website.

"We have enough quality in this team to beat anybody. I think you could see that in the games we played against top teams. We didn't get the results but I think in some parts of the games we played well."

Vermaelen has scored one goal in 30 appearances for Arsenal during the current campaign.