'Hammer me' - Chris Sutton issues Sunderland fans apology in Aston Villa prediction
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Credit: Imago
Harri Burton
Fri 19 September 2025 17:20, UK
Sunderland supporters are unlikely to be fans of Sky Sports pundit Chris Sutton ahead of their clash against Aston Villa.
Sunderland are fresh from drawing with Crystal Palace, which sees them claim seven points from their first four games of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign, moving them to seventh in the table.
The Black Cats were immediately tipped as one of the favourites to be relegated straight back down to the Championship this summer, but Regis Le Bris has had a fantastic impact.
Unai Emery‘s side, on the other hand, are sitting 19th in the Premier League, just one spot above Wolves, and are yet to even hit the back of the net despite having Ollie Watkins up front.
Mick Brown told Football Insider that Villa could be forced to sack Emery after such an appalling start to the campaign, but if Sutton’s prediction is true, the Villans might be set for some reprieve on Sunday, 21 September.
Credit: Imago
Predicting a 2-0 win for the Villans, he said: “I am not just going to back them [Sunderland] to win for the sake of it, even against an Aston Villa side who are short of form and confidence, and cannot even score a goal at the moment either.
“Instead, I am going to say Villa will come good, and for Ollie Watkins to not just get their first goal of the season, but to secure their first win too.
Apologies again to Sunderland fans for that – they can hammer me again this week if I’m wrong.”
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The most recent head-to-head looks good for Villa, having won both of the last meetings during the 2017-2018 season, with goals coming from the likes of Lewis Grabban, James Chester, and Albert Adomah.
Of course, a lot has changed at both stadia since those days, and Le Bris will be hoping for his team to continue their incredible form and pull further away from the relegation zone.
Morgan Rogers’ change of position for Villa certainly appears to be playing a major role in the club’s current struggles, and it could have been even worse had he been sold during the summer.
Four goals conceded in four games is not the end of the world, but being the only team in the top four divisions yet to hit the back of the net is a serious concern.
Emery was not able to strengthen how he would have liked over the summer months, with financial setbacks playing their part, but this team looks a shadow of the one that nearly qualified for the Champions League.
A win at the Stadium of Light could get their campaign back on track.
Or, it could just paper over the cracks of the issues that are far too obvious, yet Emery has been able to do very little to address them.