The rot has to stop: Sunderland v Aston Villa preview and team news

Villa have put themselves in a desperate position in the Premier League and need to pull a win out from somewhere

With no goals, no wins and two points, the last four games have been difficult to watch.

Aston Villa must beat Sunderland on Sunday to avoid a longer winless run than in their worst start to a season of the Premier League era. In 1997/98, Villa won their fifth league game. In 2025/26, they’ve failed to win in their first four.

Symbolic nonsense that may be, but it brings the level of the challenge into focus. Villa haven’t just started badly; they’ve started as badly as they have since the breakaway. There have only been a handful of worse starts in the club’s history.

It bears repeating that the biggest concern in the early knockings of 2025/26 isn’t Villa’s results. Disappointing runs can happen and good teams dig their way out of them.

Villa have shown next to none of that resilience. They’re rigid, they’re predictable, they’re making mistakes in possession. They’re causing a bunch of their own problems.

If they were to beat Sunderland on Sunday, I’d be flabbergasted.