Battling for precious points as the race for the Premier League intensifies, Burnley will welcome Sunderland to fortress Turf Moor on Friday night in the Championship.
The Clarets are currently invincible on their own patch ahead of the visit of the Black Cats, who are making a surprise charge for a top-two finish in the second tier this season.
Match preview
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After a hectic festive schedule in the rough and tumble of the Championship, Burnley parked their second-tier efforts for a moment last Saturday afternoon, securing a spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a success at League One Reading, although it was far from plain sailing for Scott Parker's troops.
Lewis Wing's second-half equaliser for the Royals following Lyle Foster's first goal since August resulted in the contest hurtling to extra time, in which flying Dutchman Zian Flemming bagged a brilliant brace to set up a tie at Premier League strugglers Southampton in early February.
Focusing on league matters, Burnley are currently relishing in a 13-game unbeaten run in the second tier of English football, meaning that Parker's men are occupying second spot in the Championship table, level on points with third-placed Sheffield United and just a point behind leaders Leeds United.
Conceding a mere nine goals across 26 second-tier battles to date, the Clarets have been simply sensational in defence, and that record improves even further when considering purely home matches, with the Lancashire giants allowing only four goals in 12 games at Turf Moor.
It is not a stretch to say that Burnley would be the outright favourites for the Championship crown if they possessed a lethal central striker in their ranks, although Parker and company are instead heavily reliant on the goalscoring antics of midfielder Josh Brownhill, who has netted nine times in the league already.
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Possessing the youngest squad in the division and off the back of a 16th-placed finish last term, Sunderland have certainly donned the status as surprise package at the very top of the Championship scene, with Regis Le Bris aiming for Premier League promotion after suffering relegation with French outfit Lorient during 2023-24.
There will be no distractions for the Black Cats in their quest for a top-flight berth following a disappointing afternoon on Wearside last time out, when goals from transfer target Tom Cannon and Niall Ennis secured a 2-1 victory for Stoke City at the Stadium of Light in the FA Cup.
With a pure second-tier schedule ahead of them between now and the start of May, Sunderland are sitting in fourth place in the Championship standings, two points behind Friday's hosts Burnley in second and a mammoth 11 points ahead of Blackburn Rovers in seventh spot.
Disregarding a poor showing in the FA Cup against the Potters, the North-East powerhouses have made a productive start to the new calendar year, securing back-to-back wins at the Stadium of Light in the Championship, including a 2-1 triumph over promotion rivals Sheffield United.
After collecting just 24 away points during the entirety of a wretched 2023-24 campaign, Sunderland have already earned 19 points from 13 outings this time around, with only the Clarets (28), Sheffield United (25) and Leeds (21) managing more points from their respective away contests to date.
Team News
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Burnley remain without the services of former Manchester United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri, who is serving the final match of his three-game suspension for a red card picked up on New Year's Day.
With the Clarets hardly setting the world alight in front of net this term, head coach Parker is considering the use of South Africa international Foster on the left flank in the near future.
That being said, Burnley are unlikely to deviate too much from the side that won at Blackburn in their most recent Championship contest, meaning that Jaidon Anthony should keep his spot on the wing.
The hosts are faring excellently at the back despite the absence of a top defender, with German Jordan Beyer yet to feature this term due to a hamstring issue.
Sunderland also have a host of key defensive players on the sidelines, including Dan Ballard (muscle), Jenson Seelt and right-back Niall Huggins.
Securing a high-profile loan move from Italian giants Roma, Enzo Le Fee will be hopeful of making his Black Cats debut at Turf Moor on Friday night.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Trafford; Roberts, Egan-Riley, Esteve, Humphreys; Cullen, Brownhill; Laurent, Sarmiento, Anthony; Flemming
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Hume, Mepham, O'Nien, Cirkin; Neil, Bellingham; Roberts, Mayenda, Aouchiche; Isidor
We say: Burnley 1-0 Sunderland
Keeping clean sheets in each of their last four Championship games, Burnley will be supremely confident of repeating the trick on Friday night against Sunderland.
The Black Cats performed admirably to beat fellow promotion rivals Sheffield United earlier this month, but we feel that the Wearside will fall short at Turf Moor.
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Carter White
