Why Steve Bruce fears old club Sunderland are turning season around ahead of return with Aston Villa

The Black Cats remain rooted to the foot of the Championship and deep in relegation trouble.

Villa travel to the Stadium of Light tonight with their sights on the opposite end of the table, with the play-offs and potentially automatic promotion a target.

However, Bruce believes the league’s bottom team represent a real threat to his side’s hopes, especially given their recent performances and results under Chris Coleman.

He said: “I’ve just spoken about this with my staff – Sunderland have scored three against Middlesbrough, they’ve scored three against Bristol City and they’ve gone to Millwall and got a result at the weekend.

“So, all of a sudden, they’re finding something. They have gone through a tough time but Sunderland away is never going to be easy.

“Just like every other game in this division we’ll approach it in the right way and see if we can come out on top.

“It’s going to be a big test. Like I’ve already mentioned, they’ve managed to get something at Millwall on Saturday so, slowly but surely, they might be turning it around.”