AstonVilla out to flatten Sunderland's new boss bounce

Chris Coleman’s surprise decision to quit Wales for the Black Cats has restored some belief on Wearside that escape from their current predicament at the foot of the Championship table may yet be possible.

At the very least, it means the Mackems arrive at Villa Park hopeful of a new manager bounce in what will be Coleman’s first game in charge.

Home supporters, for their part, will look at the visitors’ plight with some sympathy, for many of the issues at the Stadium of Light will sound rather familiar. There is, for instance, an absentee American owner who appears to have lost interest.

There have also been a string of managers who have come and gone at increasingly rapid rates, while a large and long-suffering fanbase continue to show up and play their part despite the pain.

Villa supporters might pause for a moment and be grateful their relegation from the Premier League was immediately followed by a takeover.

Things might not always have run smoothly under Tony Xia, far from it. Yet the Beijing businessman undoubtedly injected some energy and purpose into the club when it needed it most.

Sunderland have not been so fortunate and their decline has shown no sign of reversing or even slowing down since they dropped out of the top flight six months ago. Coleman, the club’s ninth manager in six years and second of the season after Simon Grayson, is approaching the challenge with a mixture of realism and optimism. “It’s daunting, we are standing on the edge of the cliff, and we need to move backwards. Someone will get it right here, so why not me?” he said.

Ahmed Elmohamady is back in contention for the home side after being rested for Saturday’s win at Loftus Road.

Boss Steve Bruce may however choose to stick with the XI which claimed victory in such impressive fashion. Chris Samba is expected to again deputise for John Terry in central defence. Keinan Davis remains Villa’s only fit striker.