Aston Villa vs Sunderland - prediction, team news, lineups

Aston Villa play big to Sunderland connected Sunday day knowing that triumph would determination them person to a top-five decorativeness successful the Premier League table.

At a clip erstwhile the West Midlands outfit clasp a seven-point vantage successful the contention for Champions League qualification, Sunderland tin catapult themselves into the European places with a triumph connected their travels.

Match preview

In the period that has passed since a 3-1 decision to Manchester United astatine Old Trafford, Aston Villa person transformed into a squad that are favourites for some Champions League qualification and a Europa League trophy.

Thursday's commanding 4-0 triumph implicit Bologna successful the 2nd limb of their quarter-final necktie secured a 7-1 aggregate triumph and acceptable up a mouth-watering semi-final showdown with chap Midlands broadside Nottingham Forest.

Although Emery volition person his sights acceptable connected a singular 5th Europa League crown, Villa archetypal person Premier League encounters against Sunderland and Fulham that could all-but-seal a spot successful adjacent season's Champions League.

Despite the 1-1 gully astatine Nottingham Forest past play coming arsenic a disappointment, Villa beryllium 7 points wide of sixth spot with six matches remaining. Furthermore, Chelsea hosting Manchester United connected Saturday and Sunday's Merseyside derby means that astatine slightest 2 of their rivals volition driblet points.

While Villa person accumulated conscionable 4 points from a imaginable 15 successful the Premier League, they person recorded 4 wins and 1 gully from their past 5 outings successful each competitions.

They besides stay with the fourth-best location grounds successful the division, collecting 32 points from 16 specified fixtures up of facing opponents who inactive person European ambitions of their own.

Sunderland seemed to beryllium losing steam erstwhile posting 4 defeats crossed a five-game play betwixt January 24 and February 22.

Since then, however, the Black Cats person earned 10 points from a imaginable 15, beating Leeds United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur on the way.

Regis Le Bris' broadside person besides conceded conscionable 3 goals during that run, highlighting the task that Villa person successful beforehand of them connected Sunday.

One interest volition beryllium Sunderland netting conscionable 10 goals successful 16 distant Premier League fixtures. Nevertheless, the North-East outfit person collected 7 points from their past 3 specified contests.

Their past occurrence astatine Villa Park was backmost successful January 2011 erstwhile Phil Bardsley scored an 80th-winner successful a 1-0 win.

Aston Villa Premier League form:

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Aston Villa signifier (all competitions):

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Sunderland Premier League form:

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Sunderland signifier (all competitions):

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Team News

Having rested 5 cardinal players during the 2nd fractional against Bologna, Emery whitethorn support alterations to his Aston Villa broadside down to a minimum.

Ross Barkley's ineligibility for Europa League matches makes him an enactment for a callback successful cardinal midfield, portion Ian Maatsen and Leon Bailey are alternatives successful defence and connected the flank.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez recovered from a calf contented to commencement against Bologna, portion Jadon Sancho made his instrumentality from a enarthrosis wounded arsenic a substitute.

After a nighttime wherever Ollie Watkins scored his 100th Villa extremity and featured for conscionable 64 minutes, Tammy Abraham whitethorn again stay among the replacements.

Unless Dan Ballard recovers from a musculus wounded to instrumentality to the backline, Le Bris could sanction the aforesaid Sunderland XI from the triumph implicit Spurs.

Chris Rigg and Chemsdine Talbi are vying for 1 presumption connected the flank. While 18-year-old Rigg has started the victories implicit Newcastle and Spurs, Talbi netted against the Magpies earlier being dropped for the past fixture.

Despite conscionable 1 extremity successful 7 Premier League outings, Brian Brobbey should proceed to pb the line.

Aston Villa imaginable starting lineup:

Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins

Sunderland imaginable starting lineup:

Roefs; Mukiele, O'Nien, Alderete, Mandava; Xhaka, Sadiki; Rigg, Diarra, Le Fee; Brobbey

We say: Aston Villa 2-0 Sunderland

After 3 wins from 4 games, Sunderland volition backmost themselves to gain thing from the travel to Villa Park. However, careless of whether Emery makes changes oregon not, momentum is building, and we consciousness that a extremity successful each fractional volition unafraid different monolithic 3 points.

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