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Sunderland vs Aston Villa Preview: Odds, Tips, and Prediction

Date: 21 September 2025 Kick-off (UK Time): 16:00 Venue: Stadium of Light Sunderland hosts Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light in Premier League action on Sunday, 21 September 2025. With points at a premium this early on in the campaign, it is set to be an exciting clash. You can find plenty of value in this tie for soccer bettors who are looking to maximise their bet slip at some of the best football betting sites in the industry.

Thierry Henry
Nigel Naicker

Last updated: 2025-09-18

Chad Nagel

4 minutes read

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Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa gestures during the Premier League match

Ollie Watkins/Getty Images

The Black Cats have started life in the Premier League in excellent fashion and have lost just once in their first four encounters in the competition under head coach Regis Le Bris. The Villans, in contrast, are winless and yet to score a goal this season in the Premier League so Unai Emery will be expecting a reaction to their poor start on Sunday afternoon. 

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability

  1. Home: 9/4 (3.25) – 33.9% 

  2. Draw: 5/2 (3.50) – 29.5%

  3. Away: 23/20 (2.15) – 33.6% 

    Odds courtesy of Betway subject to change.

Head-to-Head Record

  1. 02/01/16 – Sunderland 3-1 Aston Villa

  2. 29/08/15 – Aston Villa 2-2 Sunderland

  3. 14/03/15 – Sunderland 0-4 Aston Villa

  4. 28/12/14 – Aston Villa 0-0 Sunderland

  5. 01/01/14 – Sunderland 0-1 Aston Villa

Sunderland Current Form – WLWD

The Black Cats are loving life in the big time and have managed to claim two wins in their opening four games, drawing once, and losing once in that period as well. Seven points from four games is an impressive return for Le Bris’ side.

Granit Xhaka of Sunderland celebrates after the team's victory

Granit Xhaka /Getty Images

 

Key Players to watch

  • Granit Xhaka
    The former Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder is the captain and provides steel and creativity in the midfield for the Black Cats. 
  • Simon Andingra
    Andingra is an exciting winger that is very technically secure. After an impressive campaign with former side Brighton and Hove Albion last year, the Ivorian will be eager to impress the Sunderland faithful.
  • Wilson Isidor
    The French forward is quick and has intelligent movement in the box. The 25-year-old has hit the ground running at the start of the season and has registered two goals in four appearances for Sunderland. 

Sunderland Team News

Le Bris will be without several first team players for the visit of Villa. Aji Alese and Luke O’Nien have shoulder injuries. Dennis Chirkin (Wrist), Leo Fuhr Hjelde (Achilles), Romaine Mundle (hamstring), and Dan Ballard (Groin) are all out. In some good news for the French manager, Enzo Le Fee could shake off a knock ahead of the tie. 

Aston Villa Current Form – DLLD

After starting the season with a hard-fought draw at home to Newcastle, Villa lost back-to-back games against Brentford and Crystal Palace respectively, and drew their most recent outing with Everton. Emery’s side are yet to score and will be eager to find the net this weekend against the newly-promoted outfit. 

Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa reacts during the Premier League match

Morgan Rogers /Getty Images

Key Players to watch

  • Morgan Rogers 
    The Englishman is a technically gifted midfielder who hardly loses the ball. Rogers has elite ball carrying skills and is a threat in the final third as well. 
  • Emi Buendia
    The Argentine attack midfielder has featured three times for Emery’s side this season and they will need him to get back to his creative best and influence games like he used to. 
  • Youri Tielemans
    Tielamans is the captain and one of the key players at Villa Park. He adds creativity and is also a goal threat for the Villans. 

Aston Villa Team News

Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana both have hamstring strains, while Andres Garcia, Ross Barkley, and Youri Tielemans all have knocks but are expected to be passed fit ahead of the trip to face Sunderland. 

Predicted Line-Ups

  1. Sunderland (4-3-3)

    Roefs, Hume, Mukiele, Alderete, Mandava, Diarra, Xhaka, Sadiki, Talbi, Andingra, Isidor

  2. Aston Villa (4-2-3-1):

    Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne, Bogarde, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Buendia, Watkins

Suggested Bets

If you are new to betting, you can enhance your potential profits by checking out these suggested picks at some of the leading sportsbooks with great welcome bonuses.

  1. Under 2.5 Goals: Villa have struggled to score and the home team will be difficult to break down. (97/100 with 10Bet) 

  2. Both Teams to Score (No): Three of the previous five games between these two sides have seen only one side find the back of the net. (117/100 with Betway)

Value Bets

Understanding key betting rules can also help ensure clarity when navigating different markets and potential outcomes.

  1. Wilson Isidor Anytime Goal Scorer: The Frenchman has already bagged two goals in four games and will be eager to add to that at home. Forecast odds: 4/1. Odds available close to kick-off with Bet UK)

  2. Draw: The Black Cats are the form team but Villa are desperate for a positive result so they may cancel each other out. (51/20 with Betway)

Prediction: Draw

The home team look really impressive under the tutelage of Le Bris and are a well-drilled outfit. The visitors are in need of a positive result and will be desperate to score their first goal of the campaign but considering how Sunderland have played in their four games so far, it is set to be a tight affair and it is likely the two teams share the spoils at the Stadium of Light.

Thierry Henry
Nigel NaickerSports Writer

Nigel Naicker brings a decade of sports writing expertise, covering football’s biggest leagues, including the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, alongside cricket and UFC. A dedicated storyteller since 2014, he now joins the SportsBoom team, eager to deliver in-depth and engaging narratives across multiple sports.

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