Black Cats face four-game winless Villa in weekend clash.
Sunderland return to Premier League action with a huge clash at the Stadium of Light against Aston Villa, as the Black Cats look to continue their impressive home form while Villa desperately searches for a spark in front of goal. Sunderland vs Aston Villa begins at 14:00 [GMT+1] on Sunday, September 21.
For Sunderland, this match represents more than just three points — it is a chance to make a statement about their top-flight return. Sunderland are looking to win three consecutive Premier League home games for the first time since February 2012, and another victory here would see them equal the total number of home wins they managed during their entire last Premier League campaign in 2016/17 (W3 D5 L11). Adding extra motivation, Sunderland last won their opening three top-flight home matches of a season all the way back in 1965/66. Should they achieve that here, they would follow in the footsteps of Burnley, the last newly promoted side to achieve such a feat in the Premier League back in 2009/10. Sunderland’s defensive solidity at home, combined with Villa’s attacking woes, sets up a fascinating tactical battle. The Black Cats have conceded only five times, having kept a shutout in their last PL outing, which ended in a goalless draw with Crystal Palace. The 7th-placed side [WLWD] could climb into the top five should other intertwined results go their way. Isidor, Talbi and Adingra could team up in attack once again in the familiar 4—3—3 formation.
Nineteenth-placed Aston Villa, meanwhile, arrive on Wearside under heavy scrutiny. Unai Emery’s side are winless and struggling for goals, having failed to score in their last five league outings [DLLD]. That is their longest drought since a run of six games between December 2014 and February 2015. More worryingly, they could become only the third team in English top-flight history to fail to score in their opening five league matches of a campaign — a record shared only by Ipswich Town in 1970/71 and Crystal Palace in 2017/18. However, historically, this fixture has been dominated by Villa in recent years, with Sunderland winning just one of their last 12 league meetings against the Birmingham side (D5 L6). However, that solitary victory was also their most recent Premier League encounter back in January 2016, when the Black Cats triumphed 3-1. Villa themselves completed a league double over Sunderland in the 2017/18 Championship campaign and now have the chance to win three consecutive league matches against the Wearside club for the first time since Martin O’Neill’s tenure in December 2009. Ollie Watkins will remain at the attacking end of Villa’s 4—2—3—1 formation.