CRAIG Gordon has already been involved in one of the biggest shocks of the season thanks to his involvement with the Scotland team. Now Britain's most expensive goalkeeper is targeting an even bigger surprise when Sunderland travel to Arsenal on Sunday.

Even the most hardened supporters of the Tartan Army feared for Scotland's prospects when they travelled to the Parc des Princes to take on World Cup finalists France last month.

But with Gordon at the fore thanks to a string of superb saves, Alex McLeish's side pulled off a sensational 1-0 win courtesy of James McFadden's second-half thunderbolt.

Sunderland will face an equally daunting task when they travel to the Emirates Stadium this weekend to take on an Arsenal side boasting a 100 per cent home record this season.

The bookmakers make the Black Cats 10-1 outsiders to pull off a surprise away win, but having seen Scotland overcome similarly lengthy odds less than a month ago, Gordon is confident that lightning can strike twice provided Sunderland match his national side's commitment and organisation.

"There are parallels to be drawn between Scotland going to France (and winning) and Sunderland heading down to Arsenal," said the 24-year-old, who successfully repelled Manchester United's attackers for more than 70 minutes this season.

"Scotland showed that if you go there with a game plan, good team spirit and organisation, reputations don't count for everything.

"No team has got any right to win any football match. No matter who you've got in your team, it does not give you the right to win the match.

"We will go to Arsenal and be organised. We did it at Man United and almost came away with a point. It can happen, and I'm sure we'll go there trying to do something similar to Old Trafford and hopefully come away with something from the game."

The current season might be less than two months old, but it is already shaping up to be one of the most memorable in recent Scottish football history.

Gordon's £9m transfer from Hearts finally silenced the age-old jokes about the quality of Scottish goalkeeping, while Celtic and Rangers' performances in the Champions League have enhanced the reputation of the SPL.

Should Scotland qualify for next summer's European Championships ahead of either France or Italy, the nation will be approaching its 1970s heyday when the likes of Billy Bremner, Dennis Law and Kenny Dalglish were plying their trade in the English top-flight.

This month's games against Ukraine and Georgia will go a long way towards determining Scotland's fate, and Gordon is understandably excited at the prospect of two huge internationals looming on the horizon.

But with a defeat at Arsenal having the potential to drop the Black Cats into the Premier League relegation zone, the Edinburgh-born shot-stopper insists he will be totally focused on club affairs this weekend.

"Scottish football's on a bit of a high at the moment," he said. "And you're slowly starting to see a few more players make their way down to England.

"There's myself, Gary O'Connor, James McFadden and Darren Fletcher and hopefully if the national team keeps doing well, a few more will follow.

"There are two more big internationals coming up, and everyone in Scotland is talking about them but, first and foremost, there's also this very important Premier League game at Arsenal.

"It's only natural to sometimes look ahead, but you also have to do your job in club football and that's the game you have to be thinking about.

"We will go to Arsenal trying to get something from the game.

"All the lads are fully focused on that, and not looking forward to the internationals. Each and every one of us will be giving everything for Sunderland."

Roy Keane, of course, will demand nothing less. The Black Cats boss has called for a response to last weekend's 2-1 home defeat to Blackburn, and while his public demeanour remained calm in the wake of Saturday's reverse, privately he is understood to have been extremely critical of aspects of his side's performance.

Keane's refusal to lose his temper has been one of the most intriguing aspects of his transition to management, although Gordon has claimed that the power of his presence alone is sufficient to negate the need for any shouting and screaming.

"You feel it when he walks in a room," said the goalkeeper. "Everybody does - that's just the type of person he is.

"He demands respect because of everything he has achieved in the game and, if he tells you to do something, you do it and that's just the way it is.

"He wears his heart on his sleeve just like he did when he was playing, but he's very calm when he delivers his pre-match team talks and when he's telling us exactly what he wants us to do.

"He's pretty much as I thought he would be, and I'm sure he'll lead the team on to bigger and better things."

Keane will make a decision on whether to sign out-of-contract midfielder Kiki Musampa within the next 48 hours. The Sunderland boss watched the Congo international in Tuesday's reserves game against Liverpool.

Sunderland midfielder Graham Kavanagh is hoping to extend his loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday.

Kavanagh's current one-month deal is due to expire on October 21 but, having scored for the Owls in this week's 2-1 defeat at Watford, he said: "I feel I'm getting stronger all the time and starting to stamp my influence on games. If Wednesday ask me to stay and Sunderland allow it then I'd like to stay because I've enjoyed it here.