Bruce takes his Villa side to his old stomping ground at Sunderland with a warning ringing in their ears
Steve Bruce takes his Aston Villa side to his old stomping ground at Sunderland with a warning ringing in their ears: “it’s going to be a big test”, as per a report from Express and Star.
Having snatched a draw at Millwall on Saturday, the Black Cats face a Villa side fully rested and with Lewis Grabban in their XI. Chris Coleman, Sunderland’s boss, made clear that the Bournemouth striker’s behaviour still rankles on Wearside.
After spending the first half of the season on loan at the Stadium of Light, Grabban had cancelled the deal within a week.
However, Bruce is more concerned by the signs that Sunderland are beginning to put a run together at the right time of the season. Consecutive draws and coming back from 3 – 0 down at Ashton Gate set Bruce’s alarm bells ringing. “Slowly but surely,” he said, “they might be turning it around.”
Villa can’t afford to drop point, particularly with Fulham winning at Derby on Saturday. While Villa sat at home, the Londoners continued their good form with a 2 – 1 victory, closing the gap to their third-placed rivals to a single point.
With Wolves visiting Villa Park on Saturday, Bruce knows his team must win at Sunderland, the first of four games in 11 days. They didn’t have the entire weekend off; Bruce revealed his squad trained on Sunday and any complacency was shaken from their system.
The former Manchester United defender observed that won’t be an issue for his team. “Just like every other game in this division we’ll approach it in the right way and see if we can come out on top.”
Villa’s run-in makes them favourites to take the second promotion spot. As well as Wolves, they face Cardiff City and Derby before the end of the season at Villa Park. The remaining games are against teams in mid-table or on the cusp of the relegation battle, leaving Steve Bruce’s side on course for a Premier League return.