Sunderland vs Aston Villa: Can the Black Cats Bite Back?
Can Sunderland Take Revenge?
Sunderland welcome Aston Villa to the Stadium of Light on 20 September 2025. The Black Cats are in good form at home and will be keen to make Villa pay for past defeats. The last meeting back in March 2018 saw Villa win 3-0 away. Grabban opened the scoring, Chester added another, and an own goal by Oviedo sealed a night to forget for Sunderland.
Fast forward to today, and both teams have changed a lot. Sunderland will be looking for revenge, while Villa are desperate to find any rhythm after a poor start to the season.
Sunderland’s Home Magic: Hard to Beat?
Sunderland come into this clash in excellent form. In their last six games, they won three, drew two, and lost just one. Their defense is solid, conceding only 0.83 goals per match. The attack is efficient too, scoring 1.33 per game. At home, they have won two of their last three and drew one, scoring an impressive 2 goals per game while conceding only 0.67.
The Stadium of Light has become a fortress. Sunderland are unbeaten in 23 of their last 28 home matches and win half of them. Opponents know it’s never easy to leave Sunderland with points.
Aston Villa Struggle to Find Form
Villa arrive in poor shape. They have won only one of their last six games, drawing two and losing three. They have scored just 0.33 goals per game and conceded 1. Away from Villa Park, they are even worse, losing two and drawing one in their last three matches, without scoring a single goal.
Long-term stats underline the struggles: Villa have won only six of their last twelve away games and have been winless in 83% of recent away fixtures. Scoring and defending on the road has been a major problem.
Main Trends: Who Has the Edge?
Sunderland’s recent form shows balance and confidence. Strong defense, efficient scoring, and a tough home record make them a formidable opponent.
Villa’s stats reveal inconsistency. Their overall win rate in the last 30 games is 53%, but only two wins came in the last 10 matches. Their Premier League form mirrors this slump.
Probable Lineups: Who Will Step Up?
Sunderland (4-3-3): Robin Roefs (G); Trai Hume, Nordi Mukiele, Omar Alderete, Reinildo Mandava (D); Habib Diarra, Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki (M); Chemsdine Talbi, Eliezer Mayenda, Simon Adingra (A).
Sunderland will miss Romaine Mundle, Leo Hjelde, and Aji Alese.
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Emiliano Martínez (G); Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne (D); John McGinn, Harvey Elliott (M); Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Buendía, Donyell Malen (M); Ollie Watkins (A).
Villa are without Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara.
Prediction: Will Sunderland Edge It?
Sunderland’s momentum and home advantage give them the upper hand. Villa’s struggles continue both home and away. The numbers point towards a narrow Sunderland win, possibly 1-0. Expect a tense, hard-fought match with the Black Cats defending well and trying to hit on the counter.
The big question remains: Can Villa finally find a way to break Sunderland’s home fortress, or will the Black Cats continue their streak and frustrate the visitors again?
