Aston Villa v Sunderland: Nothing to separate strugglers at either whistle

In a relegation six-pointer at Villa Park, Aston Villa can join Sunderland on 37 seasonal points by achieving victory at 5/4.

But amidst the vast improvement made by the visiting Mackems under Paolo Di Canio, they may prove more popular match betting shouts as 11/5 options.

Indeed, the Black Cats have won two of their three games under the stewardship of the passionate Italian, and another win would likely see them safe.

However, it may be wisest to take the 23/10 odds regarding each side gaining a valuable point in their respective bids to retain their Premier League status.

Four of the past eight encounters between these two teams have ended level, including two of the last three, whilst the pair have played out a combined 20 league stalemates this term.

But rather than simply backing a draw to ensue, half markets look well worth investment here.

In each of the last four stalemates between the two, nothing has separated Villa and Sunderland after the 45-minute mark, so taking the 9/2 odds that the sides are drawing at both half-time and full-time can prove prudent.

Meanwhile, it may also be worth noting that of the last 10 stalemates played out between the pair, half have ended with a 1-1 scoreline.

Of the 20 total draws the duo have recorded this season also, nine have seen two goals equally shared, so 6/1 looks an appealing price regarding another 1-1 result.

And within the aforementioned 10 most recent stalemates involving the pair, both defences have been breached on eight occasions, indicating punters could benefit from investing in a score draw.

That outcome is priced at 3/1, and it would also appear that there is scope to total result markets as a profit-making scheme.

29/10 is the price that a draw involving less than 2.5 goals materialises, a bet that would have succeeded in nine of the last 10 stalemates between the Villains and Mackems, and in 15 total matches involving each side this term.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.