Burnley will face Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday, aiming to bounce back from their disappointing defeat against Tottenham.

Burnley were beaten 3–0 in their Premier League opener, and they will look to bounce back strongly vs Sunderland on Saturday. The Clarets will also want to secure their place in the Premier League for the next season, and they will not want to be involved in the battle for survival. They need to pick up crucial points in these matches to stay up.

On the other hand, Sunderland picked up an impressive victory over West Ham United, and they will be full of confidence here. The Black Cats picked up a 3–0 win in their last outing, and they will certainly fancy their chances against Burnley here.

Both teams are quite evenly matched, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top here. Burnley and Sunderland have been promoted to the Premier League this season, and both teams will look to stay up. They will be expected to pick up wins against each other. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Burnley

The home team will be without Bashir Humphreys, who is still recovering from a thigh injury. Zeki Amdouni and Jordan Beyer have knee injuries, and they are likely to miss out. Burnley will shape up in their usual 3-4-3 formation vs Sunderland, with Etienne Green in goal.

In the back three, Kyle Walker will start alongside Hjalmar Ekdal and Maxime Esteve. Oliver Sonne will start alongside Quillindschy Hartman in the wing-back roles. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch.

As for the midfield unit, Josh Cullen will start alongside Josh Laurent in the middle of the park. The two players will look to keep things tight in the centre of the pitch and protect the defensive unit. Finally, Lyle Foster will lead the line for Burnley vs Sunderland, with Hannibal Mejbri and Jaidon Anthony on either side of him.

Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Green; Walker, Esteve, Ekdal; Sonne, Cullen, Laurent, Hartman; Anthony, Foster, Mejbri

Sunderland

The visitors have some injury problems here, and Aji Alese and Luke O’Nien are out with shoulder injuries. Dennis Cirkin misses out with a wrist injury, and Romaine Mundle has a hamstring problem.

Sunderland will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation vs Burnley, with Robin Roefs in goal. Trai Hume and Reinildo Mandava will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight defensively and hit Burnley on the break. Dan Ballard will pair up alongside Jenson Seelt at the heart of the defence.

As for the midfield unit, Habib Diarra will look to protect the defensive unit and break up opposition attacking moves. Noah Sadiki and Granit Xhaka will add control and creativity to the side alongside him. Eliezer Mayenda will lead the line for Sunderland vs Burnley, here with Chemsdine Talbi and Simon Adingra on either side of him.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Roefs; Hume, Seelt, Balland, Reinaldo; Sadiki, Xhaka, Diarra; Talbi, Mayenda, Adingra

Key Stats

• Burnley have failed to win 19 of their last 21 Premier League matches.
• Burnley have kept a clean sheet in five of their last seven home matches against Sunderland.
• Sunderland have kept a clean sheet in the last three matches against Burnley. The last six matches between these two teams have produced a total of 11 goals.
• Sunderland are unbeaten in five of the last six meetings against Burnley.
• Scott Parker has seen his teams concede three or more goals in each of his last four Premier League matches (three games with Bournemouth in August 2022, 0-3 vs Tottenham in Gameweek 1). Only two managers have conceded 3+ goals in five in a row: Mick McCarthy in October/November 2005 with Sunderland and Marcelo Bielsa in February 2022 with Leeds United.

Player to Watch

Eliezer Mayenda

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The Sunderland striker was quite impressive against West Ham, and he will look to continue in that vein of form here. Sunderland will look to him to open up opportunities in the final third and find the back of the net.

Burnley looked vulnerable defensively in their last outing, and he could exploit their frailties at the back and punish them here. The Sunderland striker is our key player to watch out for, and it will be interesting to see if he can produce another defining performance this week.

Prediction

Burnley 1-1 Sunderland

Matches between these two sides are quite closely contested, and this one is unlikely to be any different. Both teams will be desperate for a victory, and it will be interesting to see how this match unfolds.

This is likely to be a close game, and it will be difficult to separate the two teams. It would not be a surprise if the two sides ended up cancelling each other out in a draw here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 stalemate for Saturday’s Premier League clash at Turf Moor.