Premier League preview: Sunderland v Aston Villa

1 November 2012 14:29

Sunderland will be out to put their Capital One Cup failure behind them in Saturday's clash with Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light.

Martin O'Neill's men were humbled 1-0 by Championship side Middlesbrough on Tuesday in their first loss at home this season.

"We have to pick ourselves up, which is easy to say, but we didn't play well enough and we didn't give our supporters enough to get enthused about," O'Neill said.

"We need to get a grip of the situation and prepare ourselves for Saturday. It's a different competition and it's a big game for us."

A further defeat at the hands of Villa could see Sunderland fall as low as 17th on the English Premier League table, just one place above the relegation zone.

Sunderland have made a sluggish start to the campaign, with only one win and six draws from their opening eight matches.

Alarmingly for O'Neill, his charges have netted fewer goals than any other team in the league with six - 18 less than Manchester United, who have played one more game.

Villa manager Paul Lambert also has cause for concern, with his team languishing in 17th on six points.

The Birmingham club, who edged out League One outfit Swindon Town 3-2 in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday, have won just one of the their past 19 league matches.

Villa will travel to Sunderland as outsiders, having not beaten their opponents in five attempts since 2009.