Sutton's predictions: Sheff Utd v Aston Villa
- Published
BBC pundit Chris Sutton is taking on Ski Sunday presenter Ed Leigh for this weekend's Premier League predictions.
Sutton's prediction: 1-2
Aston Villa dropped points against Sheffield United a few weeks ago and they really cannot afford a repeat of that here.
Unai Emery's side have been getting praised all season but it might change people's perception of them if they do not win this game, and start to look as if they are going to fall away.
That is not what I am expecting to happen, though, because I actually think Villa will assert themselves and get the win they need.
Ollie Watkins was back on the scoresheet against Newcastle after going for a few games without scoring and he should get some more chances here to help his side bounce back.
In contrast, things look pretty bleak for the Blades.
Tuesday's game against Crystal Palace, where they took the lead twice but ended up losing, pretty much summed them up and the only way I can see them staying up from here is if the Premier League keep on deducting points from the teams above them.
Ed's prediction: Tim Warwood, my snowboarding co-commentator with the BBC, is a massive Villa fan. When they had that run where they beat Manchester City and Arsenal before Christmas it put them on 35 points and he said the chat in the stands was that they only needed another three points and they would be safe, which made me smile.
This is actually a big game for Villa, who have had things all their own way for a long time but are just having their first big slip of the season. They need to show they can recover and I think they will have too much for Sheffield United. 0-3