Aston Villa vs Sunderland Prediction

Two teams going in different directions depending on the competition

Villa's overall record across all competitions this sample sits at nine wins, two draws and nine losses from twenty games, but that includes some big European nights. They've thumped Fenerbahçe 6-0 and beaten Viking 3-1 in the Champions League, yet in the Premier League itself they've lost to Newcastle, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest, and only drawn with Brentford and Hull.

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1

Aston Villa to win

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Odds1.9

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£38.00

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Draw

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Odds3.5

Potential return

£70.00

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2

Sunderland to win

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Odds3.9

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Potential returns include your stake. Odds may change.

Aston Villa: 20 completed matches; Sunderland: 20 completed matches.

Aston Villa

20 matches

Win

45% 9 / 20

Draw

15% 3 / 20

Loss

40% 8 / 20

Scored

36

Conceded

32

Difference

+4

Sunderland

20 matches

Win

45% 9 / 20

Draw

15% 3 / 20

Loss

40% 8 / 20

Scored

27

Conceded

28

Difference

-1

Sunderland's broader numbers read ten wins, three draws and seven losses from twenty games, helped by Europa League wins over Torreense and AZ Alkmaar. Their Premier League form is shakier though, with defeats to Bournemouth, Brighton, Manchester City and Arsenal, and just the one win, against Fulham, in their recent league outings.

Neither side's European form tells us much about how they'll fare in this league fixture.

Comparative Team Statistics: Aston Villa vs Sunderland

Recent meetings have gone either way

The last two meetings between these sides split evenly: Villa won 4-3 at home back in April, and the reverse fixture at Sunderland finished 1-1 last September. Older meetings stretch back through various competitions, including Championship days, so they don't tell us much about the current teams.

Villa ahead in the table, but neither side is flying

Villa sit 12th with eight points from seven league games, having won two, drawn two and lost three, scoring seven and conceding eleven. Sunderland are down in 19th with just four points from seven, winning only once, drawing once and losing five times, with six scored and fourteen conceded.

The gap in points is real, but Villa's own defensive record in the league isn't anything to shout about either.

Villa are clear of Sunderland in the table, though their own defence has been leaky too.

A couple of names worth watching

Sunderland's Brobbey has been their most productive forward recently, scoring three goals in five matches tracked. For Villa, McGinn has been chipping in with assists but has also picked up a couple of yellow cards in that span. João Gomes has already seen red in just two appearances in this sample, which is worth keeping an eye on given Villa's disciplinary record lately.

Aston Villa:

Best assist providers:

J. McGinn - 2

Penalty cards:

João Gomes x 1 x 1

J. McGinn x 2

Sunderland:

Best scorers:

B. Brobbey - 3

Penalty cards:

Reinildo x 1 x 1

Sunderland's Reinildo has picked up one yellow card in four games, nothing alarming there.

A leaky defence against a blunt attack

Villa have conceded eleven goals in just seven league games this season, which isn't the record of a team that controls matches comfortably. Sunderland, on the other hand, have managed only six goals in the same number of league outings, so they haven't had the firepower to punish weaker defences.

Put those two trends together and it's hard to be certain which problem wins out on the day.