Burkina Faso
Nigeria
South Korea
United Arab Emirates

Sunderlandvs.Burnley

sportsmole.co.uk, 22 August 2024, 11:30
Sunderland and Burnley will be looking to continue their perfect starts to the Championship campaign when they meet at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.

While the home side are yet to concede a goal, the visitors have the best attacking record in the division.

Match preview

Scott Parker may only be two matches into his reign at Burnley but he has already won over any supporters who had any reservations about his appointment.

The Clarets have won at a canter against Luton Town and Cardiff City, remarkably scoring nine goals in their opening 180 minutes of the campaign.

In each match, the strikes have been spread out, highlighting the constant threat that Parker's side have had in the final third, and expectation is certainly growing that another Championship title could be in the offing.

There have also been seven different goalscorers, albeit one from Wilson Odobert who has since made the switch to Tottenham Hotspur.

Including games at the back end of last season's Premier League, Burnley's only away defeat in their last four such competitive fixtures came by a 2-1 scoreline at Spurs.

Like Burnley's fanbase, Sunderland supporters would have been divided over an unknown quality in Regis Le Bris being brought in as the club's new boss.

However, the Frenchman has delivered an unforeseen perfect start to the second-tier campaign, first witnessing the Black Cats register a 2-0 success at Cardiff City.

Many tipped Sheffield Wednesday to prevail at the Stadium of Light in their second fixture, yet Sunderland ruthlessly disposed of the Owls by a 4-0 scoreline.

Le Bris will now have to deal with the raised expectations and this will be a significant test of their credentials ahead of trying to add to the squad in the final week of the transfer window.

Sunderland Championship form:

Sunderland form (all competitions):

Burnley Championship form:

W

W

Team News

Barring any fitness issues, Le Bris should select the same Sunderland XI from the comprehensive win over Sheffield Wednesday.

Each of the attacking quartet played their part in the four-goal victory, leaving the likes of Romaine Mundle and Nazariy Rusyn to bide their time on the substitutes' bench.

Jack Clarke is currently expected to play despite interest in his signature ramping up.

Burnley confirmed the arrival of Bashir Humphreys from Chelsea earlier this week and he is in contention to replace Dara O'Shea, depending on whether an acceptable bid is made for the Republic of Ireland international.

Han-Noah Massengo, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Zeki Amdouni all made contributions from the bench against Cardiff, yet may have to remain among the replacements.

Although Sander Berge has just left for Fulham, the Norwegian midfielder was not part of the last squad.

Sunderland possible starting lineup:

Patterson; Hume, O'Nien, Alese, Cirkin; Neil, Bellingham; Roberts, Rigg, Clarke; Mayenda

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Hladky; Roberts, O'Shea, Esteve, Pires; Vitinho, Cullen, Brownhill, Koleosho; Rodriguez, Foster

We say: Sunderland 1-2 Burnley

The Stadium of Light will be rocking for this game, anticipating the chance that their side has to make a statement. However, there is a feeling that Burnley could romp this league, leading us to predict a hard-earned triumph for Parker's team.

Previews by email
Show more

Top News

20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni will be looking for someone to step up in Lionel Messi's absence in Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifying clash against Uruguay. 20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina have confirmed Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez has withdrawn from the squad due to injury. 20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly identified Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni as a possible replacement for Virgil van Dijk. 20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk As part of their preparation for the World Cup Qualifiers, Northern Ireland are set to host Switzerland at Windsor Park for a friendly match on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni will be looking for someone to step up in Lionel Messi's absence in Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifying clash against Uruguay. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Paris Saint-Germain have been touted as a possible destination for Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who is currently set to leave the club for free in the summer. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina will resume their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign when they travel to Montevideo for Friday's clash against Uruguay. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly interested in the signature of RB Leipzig attacker Xavi Simons, with the club having failed to impress in the final third under Ruben Amorim. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Poland will hope to get their World Cup 2026 qualification campaign off to a strong start when they welcome Lithuania to Stadion Narodowy in their first group stage game on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has been handed another potentially concerning injury scare, as Ryan Gravenberch has been forced to withdraw from the Netherlands squad. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Crawley Town have sacked Rob Elliot ahead of their final nine games to secure League One survival. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk In their first group stage game of their World Cup qualification campaign, Malta will host Finland at Ta'Qali National Stadium on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Algeria will aim to go a step closer to securing qualification for the 2026 World Cup when they clash with Botswana at Francistown Stadium on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Following in the footsteps of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello as England's third permanent foreign manager, Thomas Tuchel takes charge for the first time when Albania stop over at Wembley on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ecuador will welcome Venezuela to the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado in Quito for Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifier. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Officials from Manchester United and Real Betis will reportedly meet next week to discuss Antony's future, with another loan move for the 2025-26 campaign believed to be a serious option. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are reportedly considering making a move for Feyenoord defender Givairo Read during this summer's transfer window. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Galatasaray chief Abdullah Kavukcu has said that Victor Osimhen will inform the Turkish giants in April whether he is open to joining them on a permanent basis during this summer's transfer window. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Lille midfielder Angel Gomes on a free transfer this summer. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers are allegedly among the clubs who have made an offer for Corinthians attacker Yuri Alberto. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Gateshead's potential takeover reportedly involves a former Premier League striker. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal are reportedly prepared to offer new contracts to Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri following their first-team breakthrough this season. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will reportedly scout Ipswich Town's Liam Delap and Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike on Friday evening, as the pair prepare to go head-to-head for their respective national teams. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio is reportedly on the verge of signing a new deal with Los Blancos. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Alan Shearer believes he would 'absolutely' make the current England squad in his prime. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Meeting for just the seventh time, England and Albania will clash in World Cup qualifying this week, as both take their first step on the road towards the 2026 finals. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr are reportedly prepared to launch a move to sign Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Manchester United have identified their 'most likely' striker target for the summer. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Chelsea and England hero John Terry was in the talkSPORT studio on Wednesday morning to tackle a wide range of topics in football. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Romania will be aiming to make it seven straight wins in all competitions when they open their World Cup 2026 qualification campaign with a home fixture against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday night.