English Premier
2013-04-29 - Aston Villa vs Sunderland
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Monday 29 April 2013 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Aston Villa
Paul Lambert and all Aston Villa fans must have breathed a sigh of relief when Wigan Athletic conceded a last minute goal to drop two points on Saturday and now the relegation battle could take a turn in favour of Aston Villa. Games are running out fast and Aston Villa certainly feel three points in this live game will give them a big advantage in the race for survival and also drag Sunderland back into the battle at the bottom.
QPR and Reading drew with one another on Sunday which means there is only one place for relegation left. Aston Villa are currently on the brink in 17th place, but they are 2 points clear of Wigan and have a chance to join Sunderland and Newcastle United on 37 points with a win on Monday. They have a 4-5-8 record at Villa Park this season, scoring 16 goals and conceding 25 in those games.
Aston Villa were beaten 3-0 at Manchester United on Monday last week, but they had picked up a vital 10 points from a possible 15 prior to that to keep their head above water. They could only draw 1-1 in their last home game against Fulham, but Villa have won 2 of their last 5 Premier League games here, including against West Ham United and Queens Park Rangers.
There are no new injury worries for Paul Lambert to be concerned with.
Sunderland
After all the media press surrounding the appointment of Paolo Di Canio as manager of Sunderland, the fans of the club won't care at all as the Italian has inspired the team. Relegation loomed large when Di Canio took over as manager from the sacked Martin O'Neill, but wins in back to back League games has given them a slight buffer while a win in this game would see them reach the magical 40 point mark and surely indicate safety.
The recent results since Di Canio took over have been very positive and it has helped Sunderland up to 15th in the Premier League table, above local rivals Newcastle United. They have a 5 point lead over Wigan Athletic in the final relegation place and a win on Monday would mean Sunderland are all but safe. Sunderland have a 4-4-9 away record this season, scoring 20 goals and conceding 25 in those games.
Sunderland have won back to back League games without conceding a goal since a 2-1 loss at Chelsea in Di Canio's first match in charge. The impressive 0-3 win at Newcastle United will make sure Di Canio is written into Sunderland folklore, while it also stopped a run of 4 straight losses away from the Stadium of Light in the Premier League.
Craig Gardner is back from suspension to face his former club. Connor Wickham is out while Phil Bardsley needs to pass a late fitness test.
Head to Head
Sunderland were beaten 0-1 at the Stadium of Light by Aston Villa earlier this season.
However, Aston Villa have failed to beat Sunderland in each of the last 3 times they have visited the Midlands.
Prediction
Neither side is the most reliable in front of goal and there is every chance that both will settle for a point later in the game rather than risk losing it if the game is tight late on.
However, I do think the layers may have got the 2.10 quotes on at least 3 goals being scored a little wrong. Both sides have had a fair few overs in their recent home/away games respectively and a first half goal in this one should open things up.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Aston Villa 2-2 Sunderland
BEST BETTING TIP :
I'll back Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.10
