Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have been at odds over their Premier League predictions, but there’s strong evidence to suggest they’ve specifically clashed over Aston Villa vs Sunderland. However, we do know that Chris Sutton, a former Premier League star, has predicted a 2-0 win for Aston Villa against Sunderland, despite the latter’s strong start to the season. Let’s dive into the details.¹
## Sunderland’s Strong Start
Sunderland has secured seven points out of 12, conceding only three times in the entire season. They’ve won both their home games this season and are looking to keep the streak alive against Unai Emery’s men. Their defensive brilliance has been a key factor in their success, and if they can replicate it against Aston Villa, they might just collect all three points.
## Aston Villa’s Struggles
Aston Villa, on the other hand, is struggling to find the back of the net, sitting at 19th place with only two points out of their first four games. They’ll likely be without key players like Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara, and Amadou Onana. Despite this, Chris Sutton believes Aston Villa will make a comeback on Sunday, with Ollie Watkins scoring the first goal and clinching the season’s first win for the club.²
## Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville’s Predictions
While we don’t have their specific predictions for the Aston Villa vs Sunderland match, we do know that Jamie Carragher predicted Sunderland would be relegated at the end of the season, whereas Gary Neville thinks they’ll avoid relegation and Leeds United will be the ones to drop down. Both pundits agree that Wolves and Burnley are likely to be relegated.³
## Other Predictions
Jeff Stelling, another pundit, has made a surprisingly pessimistic prediction for the match, forecasting a goalless draw. He believes Sunderland can earn points again against Aston Villa through a defensive display, but thinks the match might be low-scoring.⁴
## Conclusion
The upcoming match between Sunderland and Aston Villa promises to be an exciting encounter, with both teams having different narratives to write. Will Sunderland continue their strong defensive display, or will Aston Villa finally find their scoring boots? Only time will tell.
The Sunderland AFC Q&A: Team news, selection hints and clear behind-the-scenes view on Aston Villa
Sunderland face another tough test when their Premier League campaign continues on Sunday
Régis Le Bris and his Sunderland side are back in action this weekend when they face Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light.
Here, we take a look at the key questions and all the major headlines at the club ahead of the game…
What’s the latest team news ahead of Aston Villa’s visit to the Stadium of Light?
Broadly speaking, it’s looking pretty positive for the Black Cats. Le Bris is hoping that Enzo Le Fée will be fit to return, after missing the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace due to a minor injury. Dan Ballard is also expected to return to the squad, having recovered from the groin injury he suffered in the opening exchanges of the 2-0 defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor in August. The game comes just too soon for Luke O’Nien, who needs another week or two to recover from the dislocated shoulder he suffered in the play-off final.
Elsewhere, Dennis Cirkin, Leo Hjelde and Aji Alese all still need more time to recover from their injuries.
Are we expecting many changes to the Sunderland XI?
Not really. Enzo Le Fée has a strong case to the return to the side if fully fit, having thrived against Brentford in his last appearance. While pleased with the defensive structure of his side, Le Bris wants his side to start creating more chances and the Frenchman brings something different when he drifts infield from that left flank.
Despite his exceptional form before suffering that injury, it may well be that Ballard has to bide his time in waiting for a return to the starting XI. Nordi Mukiele has been excellent in his absence, and Le Bris has strongly hinted that he’s very happy with the performance and balance of his current back four. While a week of full training certainly moves Bertrand Traoré and Brian Brobbey closer to selection, the feeling is that Le Bris is likely to use them as impact substitutes for the time being.
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And what about Aston Villa – what’s the latest on the injury front there?
We’re not expecting too many changes as Andres Garcia, Ross Barkley, Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans are all still sidelined through injury. Tielemans in particular is a big miss for Unai Emery, though the return of Boubacar Kamara in midweek was a big boost. He’s expected to push for a start here.
One of the biggest calls Emery has to make is to whether he brings Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho into the XI, after they got more minutes under their belt in the Carabao Cup this week. Victor Lindelof is a doubt having missed that game, but hasn’t been ruled out of this one entirely.
Just how big an opportunity is this for Sunderland?
There’s no doubt that this fixture looks a little less daunting than it did a while back, when Aston Villa were widely expected to challenge at the upper end of the table. They’re yet to win a Premier League game or even score a goal this season, but Le Bris was emphatic in stating that his team cannot afford any complacency this weekend. He pointed to the strength of the Aston Villa squad and their elite head coach as reasons to be wary, and the arrivals of Elliott and Sancho give them much better strength in depth.
This is still the toughest fixture Sunderland have faced yet, and Le Bris is taking nothing for granted.
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