“Chris Sutton and Paul Merson Shock Fans with Bold Sunderland vs Aston Villa Prediction!”

Sunderland Set to Face Aston Villa on Sunday – Pundits Predict Defeat for the Black Cats

Sunderland will host Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon in a Premier League clash, but football pundits Chris Sutton and Paul Merson are both predicting a tough outing for the home side.

The Black Cats have made an impressive return to top-flight football, collecting seven points from their opening four matches. They recently held Crystal Palace to a draw and maintain a perfect home record, having beaten both West Ham and Brentford in front of their fans.

Aston Villa, on the other hand, have had a poor start to the season. They’ve yet to score a goal in the Premier League and sit 19th in the table with two draws and two losses. Despite that, both Sutton and Merson believe Unai Emery’s side will finally find their form on Sunday.

Chris Sutton’s Prediction: 2-0 to Villa

Speaking to BBC Sport, Chris Sutton predicted a 2-0 win for the visitors. He explained:

“I haven’t backed Sunderland to win yet this season, and some of their fans have been giving me grief online because they’ve started well.

“But I won’t change my prediction just for the sake of it, even with Villa looking out of sorts and struggling to score. I think this is the game where Villa will finally click, and I’m backing Ollie Watkins to not only break their scoring drought but to secure their first win too.

“Sorry, Sunderland fans – feel free to come after me again if I’m wrong!”

Paul Merson’s Prediction: 1-0 to Villa

Paul Merson also believes Sunderland will fall short, forecasting a narrow 1-0 loss for the hosts in his Sportskeeda column. He said:

“Timing is everything in football, and this is a great moment for Sunderland to play Villa. Sunderland are in good form, and Villa haven’t even found the net yet! They also just crashed out of the cup against Brentford, so there’s pressure on them.

“That said, I don’t see this Villa team playing with the same edge as they did last season. They look flat. Harvey Elliott is a smart signing and must start, but Jadon Sancho? I have no clue what he’s doing out there. He’s not running at defenders, not taking risks – just playing it safe. That won’t cut it.

“Sunderland will come out strong and try to take the initiative early. If they score first, they’ll have a real shot at all three points. But Villa must weather that early storm. When you’re not scoring, your confidence disappears. Still, I think Villa just have enough quality to edge this one.”