Sunderland are lying deep in the relegation zone and manager Roy Keane will be aware that the upcoming games towards the end of the year could very well make or break his team's Premiership season.

Just six points from last 10 games has seen Sunderland slip into the relegation zone and while his side is just one point away from pulling themselves out, Keane will be looking for some much improved performance from his team in the crucial Christmas period.

After a brief respite in the 1-0 victory over Derby County, Sunderland lost 2-0 to Chelsea in their last match though the team once again put up a good performance on the pitch. However the lack of points will be a worrying point for Keane who has been promised funds in the January window.

There is some good news on the injury front for the Sunderland manager ahead of the clash with Nyron Nosworthy and Stanislav Varga both expected to recover from their hamstring and knee injuries respectively.

Meanwhile Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill will be looking for an improved performance from his team when they visit Stadium of Light this weekend. Villa suffered a heavy 3-1 defeat at the hands of Portsmouth last weekend with the manager admitting he had not expected his team to lose the game.

Villa are currently positioned 8th in the league table with 27 points from 16 matches and O'Neill will be hoping that his team ends the two match losing streak with a convincing victory over Sunderland.

Villa had won the fixture 3-1 last time the two teams met back in 2005-06 season and O'Neill will be hoping for a similar result this time around.

Watch Sunderland vs Aston Villa live on free-football.tv.