Following their erratic 6-3 Carling Cup victory on Tuesday evening against a spirited Exeter City side, Sunderland look to parlay the momentum from that win into gaining their first Premier League win of the season against Aston Villa this coming Saturday. The fixture will take place at Villa Park and will be a stern test for a struggling Sunderland side who have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their previous four fixtures this season. Read Sunderland take a look at five key areas to look out for this Saturday:
Jermain Defoe
The striker he’s begun the season in fine form and is coming off a splendid hat-trick on Tuesday night and he looks as sharp and confident as he ever has in a Sunderland shirt. The team will be looking towards him to provide a major goal scoring threat if they are able to unlock the Villa defence on Saturday. He currently has five goals in four games and remains Sunderland’s most talented and effective forward, despite being deployed on the wing rather than his preferred conventional striker role.
Sunderland’s Leaky Defence
eleven goals conceded in four games speaks volumes for a defence in desperate need of help, whether that is coaching help from the Sunderland manager and co, or the more popular belief that further investment is needed in the heart of the defence to tighten up the woeful back line of the Black Cats. Sunderland have looked vulnerable when presented with a team full of pace and Aston Villa possess a great deal of just that. The Claret and Blue dominated Sunderland 4-1 last time around and could well line up with a dynamic attacking cohort on Saturday that will look to repeat that day’s outcome.
Sunderland’s Youth
The case of Duncan Watmore’s playing time has become a source of great frustration for many Mackems in recent times and following another strong showing against Exeter, it seems feasible that he will grace the pitch at the weekend, most likely as a substitute. His energy and youthful exuberance has been a welcome addition to the squad and with the introduction of Lyndon Gooch to the first team squad this week, there could be a couple of young prospects sitting on Sunderland’s bench primed and ready for an opportunity to shine.
Aston Villa’s New Boys
It is no secret that the Villa team that thumped Sunderland at the Stadium of Light last season is a different team to the one that will play on Saturday. However, the significant investment made by Tim Sherwood this summer has ensured that key figures such as Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph have been replaced and there is bags of talent in this new-look Villa side. Idrissa Gueye has looked like a presence in midfield and their newest signing Adama Traore arrives in the Premier League with huge expectations, as a product of the best academy in world football – Barcelona’s La Masia.
Patrick Van Aanholt
The dutchman has undoubtedly had a woeful start to the season, defensively being at fault for several of Sunderland’s conceded goals this season and contributing less going forward than he did last season. At his best he is a perennial threat on the overlap due to his blistering pace and endeavour, and at his worst, he is positionally unaware, uninterested and ineffective. Thus far he has been the latter, however, it remains to be seen whether the left back can regain his form from the back end of last season when he was one of the bright sparks of an otherwise dire season.
