Credit: Tung Manh Phan

Cameron Smith

Sat 18 April 2026 17:00, UK

Aston Villa are looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League as they take on Sunderland.

Sandwiched between Europa League wins against Bologna, Unai Emery’s side played out a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.

The Villans would take the lead in the first half through a Murillo own goal, before Neco Williams levelled the scores from distance.

Securing their spot in the Europa League semi-finals since, Villa are set to face the Garibaldi over two legs at the start of next month.

Though, the goal for now is to get back to winning ways in the league, and continue their push for a Champions League spot.

Supercomputer hands Aston Villa label of favourites ahead of Sunerland bout

After a poor run throughout February and early March, Emery’s side got themselves back on track with a 2-0 win against West Ham on the eve of the international break.

The B6 outfit are desperate for a return to the Champions League, with serious ramifications if they were to miss out, and Opta’s supercomputer predicts that this push will continue at full pelt as they face the Black Cats.

Given a 63.6 per cent chance of taking all three points, the Villans have been handed the tag of firm favourites heading into Sunday’s bout.

With this in mind, history is also on their side, with Villa having lost just one of their last 13 league matches against the Wearsiders – a 3-1 loss in their relegation season of 2015-16.

Though, Sunderland have not made the trip to Villa Park since 2017, when the two sides met in the Championship.

With Villa sitting 14th in the 2026 form table with 16 points across 13 matches, the aim is to pick up all three points on Sunday to leave Emery’s side well-placed for the season’s crunch point.

Aston Villa to keep up pace as they fight on all fronts

Since taking over in 2022, Emery has completely transformed Villa, who are now one of England’s top sides.

Out of the four sides remaining in the Europa League, the Villans are the firm favourites to lift the trophy in Istanbul next month, while their fight for a Champions League position continues.

Looking to leave the recent barren run behind them, Emery’s side will need to keep up the pace from now until the season’s end.

While the schedule is set to be hectic with Villa fighting in two competitions, they will be able to aid themselves massively if they are to get on a roll by putting a string of results together.

With Sunderland coming up first, the run-in starts now for the Villans, who will hope to end the season with success in both the league and in Europe to boast.