Gary Rowell: 'I'm looking forward to Villa thriller'
We now have three home games in a row and although the Villa one is a daunting one, we have to try making the most of them.
Sometimes the fixture list can throw up a quirk in your favour, like three home games in a row and in a tight league you have to take whatever advantage comes your way.
This is a chance for Sunderland to try to get the fans behind them, build up some confidence and some momentum.
There's Villa first, then Blackburn Rovers in the cup and finally Fulham.
And the Fulham game is one in which, beyond a shadow of a doubt, we have to be targeting all three points.
Aston Villa this weekend is a game I'm very much looking forward to because it seems like a long time since we've had one of the leading teams at the Stadium of Light.
The last time a top four side came to Sunderland was back at the start of October when Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw and it will be good to see some of the stars who have been attracting such headlines in recent months.
When I was playing in the early 1980s, Villa were one of the best sides in Europe and it looks as though they're heading that way again.
But Sunderland actually had a good record against Villa in my day and hopefully they can surprise a few people this weekend.
I think this is a game we can really get our teeth into.
Villa are a side that will come to the Stadium of Light looking to attack and they will be good opponents for Sunderland to measure themselves against to gauge how the side is faring.
A lot of the home games have been quite dour affairs because we are playing the teams around us and no-one wants to give anything away.
But it should be different against Villa and I think we could have a cracking game in prospect.
When you're a player, these are the sort of games you want to play in and for a lot of footballers, it brings the best out of them when they are facing highly-fancied opposition.
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Weather for Sunderland
Friday 10 February 2012
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