Sunderland welcome Aston Villa to the Stadium of Light, where the hosts look to build on their promising start to the season against a visiting side desperate to end a worrying goal drought.
Kick-off is set for 2pm, and with both teams showing contrasting fortunes in front of goal, this clash promises to be a fascinating tactical battle. Sunderland’s solid defensive record meets Villa’s possession-based approach, but the real question is whether Villa can finally find their scoring touch.
Our predictions for Sunderland vs Aston Villa
| Our Prediction | Odds & Bookmaker | Confidence | Why We’re Backing It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland or Draw (Double Chance) | 3/4 @ SBK (57.1%) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Villa have failed to score in 4 matches, with the Villains really struggling in front of goal. They’ve yet to find a win this season, drawing two of their four Premier League games and being knocked out of the League Cup. Sunderland have enjoyed a great start to the season, picking up seven points from a possible 12 and sitting seventh in the table. They’ve scored five goals in those four games, conceding just three. |
| Draw, Ollie Watkins anytime scorer and Trai Hume to be booked | 25/1 @ SBK (3.8%) | ⭐⭐ | This looks like a really tight game between two evenly matched sides. Aston Villa haven’t performed as well as they could this season and will look to improve their fortunes but they come up against a Sunderland side that have made themselves really hard to beat. Ollie Watkins hasn’t scored so far this season but has looked dangerous. If he can get the service, Watkins should be able to find the net. Trai Hume picked up 14 bookings last season and we’re backing him to pick up a yellow card this weekend when up against Buendia. |
Sunderland vs Aston Villa match odds
How both teams go into Sunderland vs Aston Villa
Expectations weren’t high for Sunderland heading into the new season following their shock promotion from the Championship. They’ve exceeded any expectations though, winning two of their opening four games beating Wolves and Brighton, as well as taking a point against Crystal Palace. That run of form has seen the Black Cats rise to seventh place in the Premier League and they could improve their position with another win this weekend.
Aston Villa’s fortunes have been less impressive this season, with Unai Emery’s side yet to pick up a win or even score a goal. Newcastle and Everton held Villa to goalless draws, whilst Crystal Palace and Brentford took maximum points from them. They’ll need to turn their form around quickly if they hope to make a big impression this season but things aren’t looking promising for Aston Villa at present.
Season Form & Standings
| Team | Pos | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 7 |
| Aston Villa | 19 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 2 |
Sunderland team news
Leo Fuhr Hjelde, Romaine Mundle and Dennis Cirkin are expected to be out for a further month whilst Daniel Ballard, Luke O’Nien and Ajibola Alese could all feature this weekend as they make their way back from injury.
Aston Villa team news
Youri Tielemans isn’t expected to feature until next week as he continues his comeback from a calf injury, whilst Ross Barkely has no return date. There could be places in Unai Emery’s squad for Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana, Victor Lindelof and Andres Garcia.
Head-to-Head
Aston Villa have enjoyed the upper hand in recent meetings with Sunderland, winning both encounters in the 2017/18 Championship season.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 06/03/18 | Sunderland 0-3 Aston Villa | Championship |
| 21/11/17 | Aston Villa 2-1 Sunderland | Championship |
Will Sunderland’s Defence Hold Firm?
Sunderland have found a formula for grinding out results, while Aston Villa’s lack of cutting edge has been their undoing despite plenty of possession and box entries. The hosts’ strong defensive numbers and Villa’s scoring drought make Sunderland or Draw at 3/4 @ SBK (42.1%) our standout pick. Can Villa finally break their duck, or will Sunderland’s resilience carry them to another positive result?
Odds correct at the time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.