Premier League: Visiting the Black Cats Could Bring Bad Luck to the Villans

Sunderland vs Aston Villa

Sunderland are off to a positive start in the Premier League return, and they will aim to sustain their momentum when they host a floundering Aston Villa team at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.

The Black Cats are seventh in the English top-flight standings with seven points. They opened the 2025-26 campaign with wins over West Ham United (3-0) and Brentford (2-1), a 2-0 loss against Burnley, and a goalless draw against Crystal Palace last weekend. With no EFL Cup football following their second round defeat to Huddersfield, Regis Le Bris’ men can fully focus on maintaining their top-flight status.

12 notches below Sunderland are where Aston Villa are. Unai Emery’s men are on a lacklustre run of Premier League 2025 results, and they are also out of the EFL Cup after losing to Brentford in the third round.

​Without further ado, here is the SBOTOP preview of this highly anticipated clash.

 

Talking Points

Roefs keeps Sunderland afloat

Sunderland went on a shopping spree this offseason, and goalkeeper Robin Roefs is one of their recognisable additions, as he is proving to be a bargain. The Black Cats signed Roefs to a modest fee, and the 22-year-old Dutchman has quickly become the team’s first-choice goalie.

Roefs already has two clean sheets under his belt after Sunderland won 3-0 against West Ham United and held Crystal Palace to a goalless draw, which is no small feat for a Premier League newcomer. His performance against the Eagles is not to be overlooked, as Roefs was a key reason why the Black Cats deserved the point.

Against Crystal Palace, Roefs faced an xG tally of 1.36, but he pulled off six saves, including his crucial stops on Daichi Kamada’s long-distance attempts. He should continue to improve alongside the back four of Reinildo Mandava, OmarAlderete, Nordi Mukiele, and Trai Hume.

Another thing to note about Sunderland is that they tend to start slow but grow into the match. All five of their Premier League goals this season have come after the hour mark. Wilson Isidor is their main man up front with two goals, and he plays alongside Chemsdine Talbi and Simon Adingra.

 

Aston Villa have a glaring midfield hole

Unai Emery faces a major lineup dilemma this weekend, as he might miss up to three key midfielders against Sunderland. Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley remain out due to injuries and personal reasons, respectively, and Youri Tielemans became the latest addition after he sustained a calf injury during their goalless draw against Everton. If Tielemans ultimately sits out, Emery could go with Harvey Elliott or Boubacar Kamara to pair with Lamare Bogarde in the double pivot.

Ian Maatsen could start at left-back after Lucas Digne suffered a gruesome head injury from colliding with Emiliano Martinez against the Toffees. Pau Torres, Victor Lindelof, Donyell Malen, Evann Guessand, and Jadon Sancho will also fight for minutes.

 

History

Sunderland and Aston Villa last faced off in the 2017-18 Championship, where the Villans completed a league double over the Black Cats.

Sunderland have won only one of their last 12 league meetings with Aston Villa (D5, L6), with the lone win being a 3-1 result in January 2016 when they were still in the Premier League. Regis Le Bris’ side plans to win three consecutive Premier League home games for the first time since 2012 this Sunday.

Aston Villa are scoreless in their four Premier League matches so far this season. Unai Emery’s men could become just the third team in top-flight history to fail to score in any of their first five league games in a campaign after Ipswich Town (1970-71) and Crystal Palace (2017-18).

 

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2025 odds favour Aston Villa to win against Sunderland this Sunday. The Villans are priced at 2.12 to win, whereas the Black Cats aren’t far behind at 3.24, and a draw is at 3.11 in the 1X2 market. However, Unai Emery’s men will certainly have their work cut out for them if they are to secure their first three points of the campaign.

Aston Villa might find it difficult to break their scoring drought against a steadier Sunderland backline, so we’re going for a low-scoring game. Besides our recommended bet, bettors can also add Under 2.50 at 1.76, Under 2.00 at 2.42, and even Total Goal 0-1 at 2.78 to the parlay. However, a Correct Score of 3-0 in favour of the Villans – the result of their most recent league meeting – could land you a huge payday of 21.00.

   

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