Sunderland vs Aston Villa: TV channel, live stream, referee pick, injury news and more

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Sunderland are preparing for another huge clash in their bid for Premier League survival this season as they take on Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats have enjoyed a decent start to life back in the top flight, following promotion through the playoffs.

With two wins, one draw and one defeat so far, Sunderland are putting up a good fight in the hopes of staying in the Premier League for the foreseeable future.

They have a different type of test over the weekend when Aston Villa make the trip to the north east.

Unai Emery’s side are 19th in the division, picking up just two points from their opening four games, while failing to score a single league goal.

The Villans will be looking to turn that form around quickly, or they face yet more trouble.

So, with that said, here’s a look at everything you need to know ahead of Sunderland vs Aston Villa.

Sunderland vs Aston Villa date and kick-off time

Sunderland play host to Aston Villa on Sunday, September 21, as both teams look to earn some valuable points early in the season.

Kick-off is scheduled for 2pm (BST) at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland vs Aston Villa TV channel

Sunderland vs Aston Villa will be one of two matches available at 2pm on Sunday, with Bournemouth vs Newcastle also being broadcast.

The match will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event, which requires a valid Sky Sports subscription to follow along live.

Live stream for Sunderland vs Aston Villa

There will be a live stream available for Sunderland vs Aston Villa via the Sky Go app.

The app requires a valid login, along with a Sky Sports subscription, to follow along.

Who is the referee for Sunderland vs Aston Villa

Sam Barrott will be the referee in charge of Sunderland’s clash with Aston Villa, while he is joined by Tim Wood and Wade Smith as his assistants, and Bobby Madley as his fourth official.

VAR will be in operation with James Bell in charge of that, alongside Steve Meredith as his assistant.

Sunderland injury news

Several Sunderland stars should be in line for a return from injury, coming as a huge boost for the team.

Dan Ballard, Luke O’Nien, Aji Alese and Enzo Le Fee could be in line for a return, following a few different knocks.

There are longer-term absences, with Leo Hjelde, Romaine Mundle and Dennis Cirkin all set for a return around October.

Aston Villa injury updates

There have been five players out for Aston Villa, who could all make a return over the weekend.

Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana and Andres Garcia could be involved once again, while Ross Barkley has been out with a personal issue, but could return.

Youri Tielemans is a doubt, having missed the past few games.

Sunderland vs Aston Villa head-to-head record

There have been over 180 meetings between Sunderland and Aston Villa in the long history of the two teams.

Aston Villa currently lead the way, with Sunderland still 28 wins away from closing in on that gap.

This match will be the first meeting between these two teams since March 2018, when Villa ran out as 3-0 winners in the Championship.

Sunderland vs Aston Villa prediction

Given Sunderland’s impressive start to the season, contrasting that of Aston Villa, it could make for an interesting clash at the Stadium of Light.

The home fans will be sure to get behind their side, giving them a slight advantage as they take the game head-on.

Aston Villa’s struggles have been largely in the creative departments, registering the second-lowest xG (2.9) so far this season, albeit with a small sample size.

With no goals from that total, it feels primed to change soon, though it won’t be an easy game in the north east.

Prediction: Sunderland 1-1 Aston Villa.