Two teams struggling for form go head to head at Villa Park on Saturday as Aston Villa host Sunderland in the Premier League.
The Villans have lost their last two matches in the league, while Sunderland have just one point from a possible nine.
Aston Villa
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Aston Villa started the new Premier League season in positive fashion, but they have failed to build on that in their last two outings.
Tim Sherwood's side beat Bournemouth on the opening day of the campaign before defeats to Manchester United and Crystal Palace saw them hit a stumbling block.
They managed to get that winning feeling back on Tuesday night by beating Notts County 5-3 after extra time in the second round of the League Cup.
However, an exhilarating 120 minutes of football against the League Two side could see the Villans struggling for energy during their clash with Sunderland.
Villa have been impressive at the back this season, conceding just twice in their three games so far. The same cannot be said for their performances at the other end of the pitch, with just two goals scored in 270 minutes of Premier League action.
Despite finding it hard to make their mark in the final third, Sherwood recently revealed that the club would not be doing any more business in the transfer window after splashing out around £50m on 10 new players this summer.
Recent form: WLL
Recent form (all competitions): DDWLLW
Sunderland
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The season is only a matter of weeks old, but Sunderland are already scrapping away at the wrong end of the table.
Dick Advocaat's men have picked up just one point from their three games so far, leaving them in familiar territory in the relegation zone.
The Black Cats ended a run of two consecutive defeats in the league last weekend with a 1-1 draw at home to Swansea City as Jermain Defoe's second-half strike cancelled out Bafetimbi Gomis's opener.
Things got better for the Mackems in midweek thanks to an entertaining 6-3 victory over Exeter City in the League Cup second round. Defoe netted a hat-trick for the hosts at the Stadium of Light, while Jack Rodwell and Duncan Watmore also got themselves among the goals.
Sunderland have the worst defensive record in the top flight this season, leaking eight goals in their three matches. The team have scored four goals in that time.
In terms of their business in the transfer market, Advocaat recently hit out at the club for failing to provide him with ample funds to boost his squad. His comments came just days after chairman Ellis Short insisted that he was doing all that he could for Sunderland.
Recent form: LLD
Recent form (all competitions): WWLLDW
Team News
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Gary Gardner and Jores Okore are both unavailable for Aston Villa due to ankle and knee injuries respectively.
Meanwhile, Tim Sherwood is likely to recall a number of first-team players after resting them in midweek.
Younes Kaboul is expected to miss out for Sunderland, who are understood to have no fresh injury problems.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Guzan; Bacuna, Richards, Clark, Amavi; Gueye, Westwood, Sanchez; Agbonlahor, Gestede, Sinclair
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Pantilimon; Jones, van Aanholt, O'Shea, Coates; Cattermole, Rodwell, M'Vila, Lens; Defoe, Graham
Head To Head
Aston Villa lead the head-to-head record between these teams, winning 70 of their 166 encounters against Sunderland. The Black Cats have prevailed 53 times, while there have also been 43 draws. Last season saw Villa earn a 4-0 victory at the Stadium of Light after sharing the spoils in the reverse fixture. Sunderland last won at Villa Park in 2011.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Aston Villa 2-1 Sunderland
This encounter is likely to be a scrappy affair between two teams that are already feeling a bit of pressure after underwhelming starts in the Premier League. That said, both sides rediscovered their scoring touches in midweek, albeit against lower-league opposition in the League Cup. The key factor in this one could be home advantage, something which Villa must do all that they can to use.
Jack Prescott
