Sunderland vs Aston Villa. Premier League.
Stadium of LightAttendance41,535.
Saturday 2 January 2016 13:56, UK
Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce faces a defensive crisis ahead of the Black Cats' crunch relegation clash with Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams desperately need three points as they occupy the bottom two spots of the Premier League table, although Sunderland are four points ahead of their opponents this weekend.
Sunderland have lost their last five top-flight games, although four of those were against Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City, as well as an in-form Watford.
Aston Villa - who have amassed just eight points so far this season - have failed to take maximum points since the opening day of the season against Bournemouth and lost 2-0 to Norwich last time out.
Team news
Allardyce could be without Sebastian Coates (dead leg), while John O'Shea is battling a calf problem.
Younes Kaboul is definitely missing with a hamstring tear and Allardyce will need to assess 36-year-old Wes Brown's ability to play two games in four days after his return to action in midweek.
Midfielder Jack Rodwell suffered a hamstring injury during the Liverpool game, and he joins Sebastian Larsson (knee) on the sidelines.
Jordan Ayew and Ashley Westwood are suspended for Aston Villa, after both picked up their fifth bookings of the season late on in Monday's defeat at Norwich.
They will be joined on the sidelines by Carlos Sanchez, who is out with a hamstring injury, and Gabby Agbonlahor is struggling with a back problem while Jordan Amavi (knee) remains out for the rest of the season.
Opta stats
Villa have lost none of the last nine Premier League meetings with Sunderland (W4 D5) and have won the last three encounters at the Stadium of Light without conceding a goal.
Gabby Agbonlahor has scored five goals in his last five Premier League appearances against Sunderland and four in the last three at the Stadium of Light.
Villa won just 25 points in 38 Premier League games in 2015; less than Watford (29 points) won in half the number of games (19).
After winning three points in their opening day away win at Bournemouth, Villa have picked up just two in their nine Premier League away games since (W0 D2 L7).
Only Sunderland (six in 05-06) and Derby (seven in 07-08) have had fewer points after 19 games of a Premier League season than Villa this season (8).
Villa are without a win in 18 matches (D5 L13); extending their longest ever winless run in their league history.
Villa have now gone nine games without a Premier League clean sheet away from home and have kept just one clean sheet in their last 18 Premier League games overall.
Villa have the lowest shot conversion rate in the Premier League so far this season (9.8 per cent).
Paul Merson's prediction
Cup final for both teams. A draw is no good for either team here. Whoever wins has got a chance - well, it would give Villa half a chance, and Sunderland every chance of surviving.
If it is a draw, I think they're both relegated. It's as simple as that. This is the biggest game of the whole day, without a doubt. This is as big as it gets.
Villa turning the year with one win is a disaster, but starting 2016 with a victory could be a big boost.
Sunderland struggled on Wednesday, they've got no centre halves, and I'd like to think Villa are going to turn up, play two up front and have a right go. They've got to go, play ugly, bomb it forward, get it in the box and have a go. They've got a week off after this and don't have to play a full-strength team at Wycombe in the FA Cup, so for me this is the be all and end all.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-2 (10/1 with Sky Bet)
Betting
The two sides adrift at the foot of the Premier League meet at the Stadium of Light on Saturday with Sunderland Sky Bet's 11/8 favourites from Aston Villa (21/10).
Both sides are big odds-on shots to be relegated with the draw (11/5) an unwanted result for either side. Villa have won on each of their last three visits to Wearside to nil and are 7/2 to make it four on the bounce. Sunderland have suffered five straight defeats but are 3/1 to win by exactly one goal.
Steven Fletcher (5/1) and Rudy Gestede (6/1) are deemed the most likely first scorers. Check out tips from our Sky Sports pundits Jamie Redknapp, Charlie Nicholas, Phil Thompson and Matt Le Tissier here.
