Gus Poyet: Sunderland squad for Aston Villa clash will be easy to pick

GUS POYET admits he has a simple task picking his Sunderland team to face Aston Villa in their crunch Premier League relegation clash at the Stadium of Light.

Gus Poyet says it will be easy to pick a side to face Aston VillaGETTY

Gus Poyet says it will be easy to pick a side to face Aston Villa

With injuries and suspensions to wrestle with ahead of the six-pointer against Tim Sherwood's men, Poyet's team virtually selects itself for a game that will have a huge say on both clubs' efforts to beat the drop.

Lee Cattermole starts a two match ban for reaching 10 bookings, Adam Johnson is suspended by the club and Will Buckley and Emanuele Giaccherini are out injured.

That leaves the head coach with few selection options, and the head coach admitted: "The team I send out won't be difficult to pick. 

"It will be a very common-sense team. If you put every single person who plays week-in, week-out, maybe there’s only one that people could disagree with.

"There’s not going to be anything strange. I can’t ask the players to do things simply, and then me complicate things with the team. 

Sherwood pleased with form ahead of Sunderland [AMBIENT]

The team I send out won't be difficult to pick

Gus Poyet

"With the players that we have got available, the team has practically picked itself – apart from maybe one decision."

The Premier League's two lowest scorers go head-to-head on Wearside with Sunderland desperate to increase their single-point gap on Villa, and four-point cushion on the drop zone.

Villa have scored just 15 goals in 28 games, while Sunderland have found the net only 23 times from the same number of matches.

Poyet expects a war of attrition, and he added: "I can't see too many goals in the game. Two teams who have scored the fewest in the division are not suddenly going to be in a game that finishes 3-3.

"But I suppose if one team goes one or two up, there’s going to be spaces. I want us to put pressure on them, use the home crowd, and try to win the match."

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