Match Overview
Sunderland return to Premier League action at the Stadium of Light as they welcome Aston Villa in Matchday 5. The Black Cats are aiming to build on their strong home form since promotion, while Villa are under pressure to end a poor goalscoring run.
Kick-off time: 16:00 EAT (14:00 BST)
Venue: Stadium of Light, Sunderland
Key Insights
- Sunderland have won just one of their last 12 league meetings with Aston Villa (D5 L6) — though that win was the most recent Premier League encounter between the clubs in January 2016 (3–1).
- Aston Villa completed a league double over Sunderland in 2017–18 (Championship) and could win three in a row against them in the league for the first time since December 2009.
- Sunderland are looking for three consecutive home Premier League wins for the first time since 2012. A victory would also equal their total home wins from their last PL season in 2016–17 (W3).
- Aston Villa have failed to score in their last five league matches, their longest drought since 2015. They could become just the third team in PL history to fail to score in any of their first five games of a season.
- Sunderland last won their first three home top-flight games in 1965–66. The last newly promoted PL team to do so was Burnley in 2009–10.
Win Probability
- Aston Villa: 45%
- Draw: 29%
- Sunderland: 26%
Villa are favorites on paper, but Sunderland’s home crowd makes this a dangerous assignment.
Probable Lineups (to be confirmed before kickoff)
Sunderland (4-2-3-1):
Patterson; Hume, Ballard, Seelt, Cirkin; Neil, Ekwah; Roberts, Pritchard, Clarke; Rusyn
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1):
Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Luiz; Bailey, Tielemans, Diaby; Watkins
Players to Watch
- Sunderland — Jack Clarke: Explosive winger, Sunderland’s main creative spark.
- Aston Villa — Ollie Watkins: Searching for goals, but remains Villa’s talisman in attack.
Prediction
- Sunderland are tough to beat at home and have momentum.
- Aston Villa desperately need to break their goalscoring drought.
Predicted Score: Sunderland 1–1 Aston Villa
Where to Watch in Uganda
- SuperSport Premier League (DStv)
- FuboTV / Peacock (via VPN for streaming)
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