<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunderland face Aston Villa in the Premier League this weekend, with</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Villa yet to score a goal this season &#8211; Unai Emery&#8217;s side have looked relatively toothless in front of goal.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That drought is bound to end at some point, but will it be at the Stadium of Light? There’s evidence to suggest otherwise.</span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.squawka.com/"><b>Squawka</b></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> have taken a look at why, as well as three potential Sunderland defenders to sign for this week.</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><b>Sunderland’s defensive solidity</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunderland have been defensively solid in the Premier League this season. They’ve faced an average of 10 shots per game, the sixth-fewest in the division. That’s translated to four shots on target per game, which is a little more frequent, but still not too bad.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The quality of the chances Sunderland are giving up isn’t bad either &#8211; the Black Cats have averaged just 1.07 Expected Goals Conceded (xGC) per game in the Premier League this season. Again that’s among the best in the division, with only Newcastle, Arsenal, Liverpool and Bournemouth averaging fewer.</span></p>
<div id="attachment_73361" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73361" class="size-full wp-image-73361" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2216109700.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2216109700.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2216109700-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-2216109700-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-73361" class="wp-caption-text">Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the other side of this fixture are Aston Villa, who have blanked in their four matches so far. They sit second-bottom for xG per game at 0.85, and bottom for post-shot xG per game at 0.38. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This indicates that not only are they bad at getting shooting opportunities, but their finishing is lowering their chances of scoring &#8211; which bodes well for Sunderland defensive assets.</span></p>
<div id="attachment_70809" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-70809" class="size-full wp-image-70809" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Emery.jpg" alt="Unai Emery. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Emery.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Emery-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Emery-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Emery-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-70809" class="wp-caption-text">Unai Emery. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="mceTemp"></div>
<h2>Budget Sunderland defenders for Gameweek 5</h2>
<h3><b>Omar Alderete</b></h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">
<h4><b>Price: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">£4.0m</span></h4>
</li>
<li aria-level="1">
<h4><b>Total points: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">18</span></h4>
</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">No Sunderland defender has more FPL points than Omar Alderete’s 18 this season, and that’s despite Alderete missing out on clean sheet points in Gameweek 1 as a substitute.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Paraguayan centre-back has been sweeping up defensive contributions, reaching the 10 threshold in two of his three starts. He hit nine in his other start, only just missing out.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alderete appears to be Sunderland’s busiest defender, leading the squad for clearances attempted (18). He’s managed at least three in every game, which includes the opening match when he only played 37 minutes. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He has also averaged at least two interceptions and two tackles in all three of his league starts, which is a positive sign for the future consistency of his defensive contributions.</span></p>
<div id="attachment_74750" style="width: 850px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-74750" class="wp-image-74750 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/playerstats-Alderete-bordered.jpeg" alt="" width="840" height="690" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/playerstats-Alderete-bordered.jpeg 840w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/playerstats-Alderete-bordered-300x246.jpeg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/playerstats-Alderete-bordered-768x631.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px" /><p id="caption-attachment-74750" class="wp-caption-text">Omar Alderete&#8217;s <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a></p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><b>Reinildo Mandava</b></h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">
<h4><b>Price: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">£4.0m</span></h4>
</li>
<li aria-level="1">
<h4><b>Total points: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">16</span></h4>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Another option from the Sunderland backline is Reinildo Mandava, who already has two clean sheets and two DefCon points to his name.</p>
<p>The former Atletico Madrid defender is better known for his defending than his attacking output, but the Mozambican has shown signs of getting forward from left-back at times.</p>
<p>The versatile defender is also capable of filling in at centre-back, and his experience makes him look like a safe bet for minutes despite his basement price tag.</p>
<p>He is already becoming a popular name among Sunderland fans, with his Summer acquisition from the Spanish side looking a better move by the minute.</p>
<div id="attachment_74752" style="width: 850px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-74752" class="wp-image-74752 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/playerstats-Reinildo-bordered.jpeg" alt="" width="840" height="690" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/playerstats-Reinildo-bordered.jpeg 840w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/playerstats-Reinildo-bordered-300x246.jpeg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/playerstats-Reinildo-bordered-768x631.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px" /><p id="caption-attachment-74752" class="wp-caption-text">Reinildo Mandava&#8217;s <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a></p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><b>Nordi Mukiele</b></h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">
<h4><b>Price: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">£4.0m</span></h4>
</li>
<li aria-level="1">
<h4><b>Total points: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">14</span></h4>
</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunderland&#8217;s other starting centre-back Nordi Mukiele has played just two games for Sunderland, but he’s already racked up 14 FPL points &#8211; and it looks sustainable. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Frenchman has attempted at least seven clearances in each of his two Sunderland appearances so far, totalling 16 overall. He has also made at least two tackles in both matches. That includes five on his Premier League debut.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With Mukiele on the pitch, Sunderland have conceded just one goal, from 3.07 total xG conceded. They’ve faced 21 shots across those two matches, with 10 hitting the target.</span></p>
<p>Mukiele can also play right-back, but is unlikely to get game time there ahead of the attack-minded <strong>Trai Hume </strong>who is priced at £4.5m.</p>
<div id="attachment_74751" style="width: 850px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-74751" class="wp-image-74751 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/playerstats-Mukiele-bordered.jpeg" alt="" width="840" height="690" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/playerstats-Mukiele-bordered.jpeg 840w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/playerstats-Mukiele-bordered-300x246.jpeg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/playerstats-Mukiele-bordered-768x631.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px" /><p id="caption-attachment-74751" class="wp-caption-text">Nordi Mukiele&#8217;s <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a></p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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FPL tips: Budget Sunderland defenders for Gameweek 5 | Squawka

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