Hello and welcome to live text coverage of tonight's Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Sunderland

Richardson cynically brings down Emile Heskey about 20 yards out from the Sunderland goal and earns himself a yellow card. Early free-kick chance for Villa this.

Ciaran Clark crosses from the Villa left, but Stewart Downing's header is off-balance. Moments later, Ashley Young keeps the pressure up on Sunderland with some trickery deep in Black Cats territory, but the away side clear their lines.

Definitely not a sell-out at Villa park tonight...

Early chance for Sunderland. Carlos Cuellar misjudges a cross from the right, but Steed Malbranque sends his header tamely wide.

And it is Sunderland who get the game underway kicking from right to left

And both teams are now making their way out onto the hallowed Villa Park turf...

And just one extra point to mention that in today's current trend for squad rotation (particularly with Steve Bruce disgusted that teams had to play five games over 13 days during the festive period), both managers have decided to buck the trend and stick with unchanged line-ups, accrued from their positive results over the weekend, for tonight's match.

Steve Bruce has arguably a better record against Aston Villa - his teams have been unbeaten in their last three Premier League vists to Villa Park - but he has only managed to win one of his last five matches against tonight's hosts: that being Sunderland's 1-0 home victory earlier in the season. While the Black Cats have largely struggled on the road, more ominuous is the fact that Sunderland have only ever won once in a total of 13 visits to the city of Birmingham.

For Villa manager Gerard Houllier, this game will represent a chance to bring to an end a recent personal losing streak against Sunderland, with the Frenchman suffering defeats in his last two managerial appearances when taking on tonight's opponents. Worse for Villa as a whole, though, is the fact that they have conceded in each of their last five matches at Villa Park - a total of 10 goals.

Sunderland captain Lee Cattermole faces a month on the sidelines with a back problem, while Nedum Onuoha also misses out with a hamstring complaint. Asamoah Gyan and Ahmed Elmohamady are only fit enough for the Black Cats bench having respectively suffered from toe and head injuries.

Aston Villa's Gabby Agbonlahor is fit to partner Emile Heskey in attack after shrugging off a sore groin sustained in the 3-3 draw at Chelsea on sunday. But Luke Young and Fabian Delph are still out with knee injuries.

Team News... Aston Villa: Friedel, Cuellar, Dunne, Collins, Clark, Ashley Young, Reo-Coker, Petrov, Downing, Agbonlahor, Heskey. Subs: Marshall, Pires, Albrighton, Delfouneso, Bannan, Lichaj, Herd. Sunderland: Gordon, Bardsley, Ferdinand, Bramble, Richardson, Elmohamady, Meyler, Henderson, Malbranque, Welbeck, Bent. Subs: Mignolet, Zenden, Angeleri, Da Silva, Riveros, Gyan, Adams. Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)

Steve Bruce's men will be buoyed, however, by the desire to record a first league double over Villa for 28 years, having dispatched of the hosts 1-0 at The Stadium of Light earlier in the season. Richard Dunne turning the ball into his own net to give Sunderland victory in that October fixture.

The Villans face a Sunderland side who are in fine form having defeated Blackburn 3-0 on New Year's Day, climbing up to 6th in the table in the process. A daunting prospect for Villa tonight then? Well the Black Cats are not good travellers, having recorded only one win all season -

Villa will be looking to build on their courageous display from Sunday where they held Chelsea in a 3-3 thriller at Stamford Bridge. And Gerard Houllier's men certainly need all three points tonight - the Midlands club currently sit one point above the drop zone in 17th place.