Aston Villa defender Luke Young believes Martin O'Neill's side will come up against "new manager syndrome" when they tackle Sunderland on Saturday.
Black Cats boss Ricky Sbragia has sparked a revival at the Stadium of Light since taking over from Roy Keane in early December.
In particular, Sunderland have won two and drawn one on home soil following Sbragia's appointment, appearing to leave Villa with a task on their hands to stretch their winning away run to five games.
Young said: "The team are enjoying the fruits of 'new manager syndrome' in that their results have picked up since Ricky Sbragia came in.
"They probably under-achieved beforehand, because they have good players in their squad.
"The Stadium of Light is always a difficult place to go, given the crowd. They're always loud and they get behind them, so it will be a tough game."
In particular, Sunderland have won two and drawn one on home soil following Sbragia's appointment, appearing to leave Villa with a task on their hands to stretch their winning away run to five games.
Young said: "The team are enjoying the fruits of 'new manager syndrome' in that their results have picked up since Ricky Sbragia came in.
"They probably under-achieved beforehand, because they have good players in their squad.
"The Stadium of Light is always a difficult place to go, given the crowd. They're always loud and they get behind them, so it will be a tough game."
Copyright (c) Press Association
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