Sunderland face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
The Black Cats travel to the Midlands off the back of three wins in their last four top flight outings, and are currently just two points adrift of sixth-placed Chelsea with half a dozen fixtures remaining.
For their part, Villa are firmly in the race to qualify for the Champions League this term, and sit fourth in the table heading into the weekend, despite having won just one of their previous five matches in the Premier League.
But in spite of the disparity between the two sides’ form, both Sutton and Merson are of the opinion that Villa will pick up a valuable victory against Regis Le Bris’ visitors.
What did Chris Sutton and Paul Merson say ahead of Aston Villa vs Sunderland?
Speaking to BBC Sport, Sutton predicted a 1-0 Sunderland loss, stating: “I was at the Stadium of Light for the reverse fixture earlier in the season, and Sunderland played really well with 10 men in a 1-1 draw. I watched the Black Cats again against Tottenham last week, and they are so well organised. They don't give a lot away. I can see this being another tight game, but Aston Villa are at home and they really need a win to strengthen their grip on a Champions League place.”
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Similarly, Merson has opted for a 2-0 Villa win, telling Sportskeeda: “Sunderland looked decent the other day against Tottenham. They played some good football. Sunderland have a solid pattern of play and every player knows what they're doing on the pitch.
“But I'm still going for an Aston Villa win here. Villa created enough to win the game against [Nottingham] Forest last weekend and they will be kicking themselves after that draw. I still believe Villa can win this game. This will be a massive result for them, especially since I'm backing Manchester United to lose this weekend.”
As mentioned by Sutton, Sunderland’s last meeting with Villa ended in a 1-1 draw back in September, with Wilson Isidor rescuing a point for the 10-man Black Cats on Wearside.
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