Aston Villa hosts Sunderland on Sunday, April 19, at 9am ET in a crucial match for both teams. Fans can watch the game live on Peacock.
Key points
Aston Villa hosts Sunderland
Match kicks off at 9am ET
Venue is Villa Park, Birmingham
Live streaming available on Peacock
Both teams aim to finish the season strongly
Mentioned in this story
Villa Park
Aston VillaSunderland
Top four hopefuls and Europa League favorites Aston Villa host European hopefuls Sunderland on Sunday with both teams eager to finish the season strongly.
It is all happening at Villa Park! McGinn whips in a lovely corner and Onana gets there before Roefs but his header hits the crossbar and comes back out.
Rigg equalizes!
Wow. What a start to this game. A lovely finish across goal from the youngster Chris Rigg. Sunderland are level.
Watkins scores!
Q&A
What time does Aston Villa vs Sunderland kick off?
The match kicks off at 9am ET on Sunday, April 19.
Where is the Aston Villa vs Sunderland match being played?
The match is being played at Villa Park in Birmingham.
How can I watch Aston Villa vs Sunderland live?
You can watch the match live on Peacock.
What are the stakes for Aston Villa and Sunderland in this match?
Both teams are eager to finish the season strongly, with Aston Villa aiming for a top-four finish and Sunderland looking to secure a European spot.
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Well, that didnât take long. After lovely play from Cash and McGinn down the right, Watkins has Villa ahead with a header at the back post. Villa Park is bouncing. Dream start for the hosts.
Villa hammered Bologna in midweek to seal their spot in the Europa League semifinals and Emery, a serial winner of that competition, has plenty of players back from injury to really boost his options in the final weeks of the campaign. Ollie Watkins is in great form with John McGinn and Youri Tielemans back fit and flying, while Morgan Rogers is a real delight to watch.
Sunderland team news, focus
Romain Mundle, Simon Moore, Jocelin Ta Bi and Bertrand Traore are out, while Nilson Angulo and Dan Ballard are doubts. Sunderland have a very solid, settled side with Brian Brobbey leading the line superbly up top and Granit Xhaka running the show in midfield. Sunderland are dangerous on the break and Diarra, Le Fee and Sadiki are excellent in breaking from midfield and supporting Brobbey.
Aston Villa vs Sunderland preview
Unai Emery has led Villa to the semifinals of the Europa League where they face fellow Midlands club Nottingham Forest (who they drew 1-1 with last weekend in the league) for a spot in the final in Istanbul in May. In the Premier League they sit in fourth place, seven points ahead of sixth-place Chelsea, so a win this weekend would be huge in cementing their spot in the top five which guarantees Champions League qualification for next season.
Sunderland have won three of their last four games and are back on track as Regis Le Brisâ side beat Spurs at home last weekend to boost their European hopes. The Black Cats are involved in an almighty scrap for European qualification, which is an incredible feat given this is their first year back in the Premier League.
Aston Villa vs Sunderland prediction
Villa will force the issue and will likely have too much for the Black Cats, but they do play a high defensive line so could be caught out. Aston Villa 3-1 Sunderland.
