Sunderland vs. Burnley: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Burnley have a significant quality advantage over most other sides in this division and given they've looked good as a collective unit in the early stages of the season it's going to be hard for most sides to stop them.

Burnley captain Josh Brownhill has already got on the scoresheet in both of the Clarets' opening games and could be a good bet for a goal here, while Sunderland striker Eliezer Mayenda could be buoyed by two goals at the weekend.

The Clarets have only one defeat in their last 25 Championship matches and given they won 4-2 the last time they visited this ground, we think they'll surge to yet another win here. Sunderland 1-3 Burnley.

Top of the league meets 2nd in the league in the EFL Championship this weekend as Sunderland host Burnley.

• Date: 24/08/2024
• Kick-off time: 15:00
• Location: Stadium of Light, Sunderland

Sunderland currently sit 2nd in the Championship with six points from their first two games of the season. The Black Cats entered the season with mixed aspirations, with the club currently amidst a questionable youth-centred project. Sunderland have set out to acquire the signature of as many young, high-potential players as they can, and while that’s brought a high volume of impressive, raw talent to the club, it’s not yielded the type of results they were hoping for.

Last season produced a 16th-place finish in what was a disappointing campaign that saw Sunderland cycle through three different managers. Under the guidance of new manager Régis Le Bris, Sunderland are hoping they have a man capable of moulding a very young and inexperienced group of players into a team that can compete for a play-off spot, or at least display significant progression. To simultaneously rebuild and succeed is a very difficult job, so Le Bris very much has his work cut out here.

The Black Cats brought in Preston captain Alan Browne in the summer, an experienced Championship midfielder who they hope will provide some balance to the team, both technically and mentally. Browne has made a good start to his Sunderland career in terms of performances, but whether or not he can bring enough of what they need to take several steps forward remains to be seen.

Even more promising has been the performances of young midfielders Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg. Bellingham, only 18 years old, experienced an up-and-down campaign last time out but comes into this season looking physically developed, while Rigg, just 17, looks set for a breakout season.

Sunderland face an exceptionally difficult game here and while it’s still early days in the season, a win would be a statement victory, giving the impression this is a new and improved Sunderland team that won’t be blighted by the sort of fickle inconsistencies that plagued them last time out.

Burnley currently sit top of the Championship with six points from two games. Burnley came into the campaign freshly relegated from the Premier League but with a strong expectation of making an immediate return to the big time. So far, they look every bit the part.

Burnley parted ways with manager Vincent Kompany at the end of last season with the former Manchester City defender making the surprise switch to Bayern Munich. In response, Burnley turned to Scott Parker, a man who’s had mixed success in his short career so far but has shown himself capable of guiding teams out of the Championship and into the Premier League, having led both Fulham and Bournemouth to promotion in the past.

There’s a worry for Burnley at present in that they’ve spent a lot of money fulfilling contractual obligations to make some of last season's loan moves permanent, while Premier League clubs are circling their squad in an attempt to lure away their best players. The Clarets have already lost young French forward Wilson Odobert since playing their first game of the season, while Brentford are also making a strong attempt to snatch Dara O’Shea from the club. Burnley needn’t worry too much as their squad depth is vast for this level, but it’s a concern nevertheless.

Burnley have edged the recent head-to-head meetings between these two teams, winning two of the last five encounters, with Sunderland winning one.

This game will not be televised live to U.K. audiences but full radio coverage will be provided by BBC Radio Newcastle and BBC Radio Lancashire.

Sunderland Team News:

The Black Cats were without midfielder Alan Browne for the visit of Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, but he's expected to be fit to face Burnley here.

He'll likely take the place of Chris Rigg in midfield, but it would be a harsh exclusion on the 17-year-old after his fine recent performances.

Predicted lineup: Patterson; Hume; O'Nien, Alese, Cirkin; Neil, Browne; Roberts, Bellingham, Clarke; Mayenda.

Burnley Team News:

Providing he's still at the club, Dara O'Shea will continue to start at the heart of the defence.

Few changes to Burnley's starting lineup are expected here after a pair of extremely dominant wins.

Predicted lineup: Hladký; Roberts, O'Shea, Esteve, Pires; Vitinho, Cullen, Brownhill, Koleosho; Rodriguez, Foster.

Sunderland started the season with a 2-0 win away at Cardiff City. The Black Cats squared off against a team that few fancied to be more than a mid-table outfit this season but are also a team that are more than capable of producing an upset on their day. Sunderland produced a performance characterised by grit and resolve to emerge victorious.

Sunderland conceded 65% of the possession but defended well, and despite Cardiff having their moments Le Bris’ side defended well for the most part, with Luke O’Nien opening the scoring.

After Sunderland went ahead, they were very good off the ball and restricted the Bluebirds to little joy. With just one minute left on the clock, Jobe Bellingham made an interception before driving up the pitch with the ball to lay the ball off to Jack Clarke, who then cut inside and finished with aplomb.

Sunderland followed that game up with a 2-0 loss to Preston North End. It was a much-changed XI that took to the pitch for the Black Cats, but few of the new faces did anything to suggest they’re worthy of working their way back into the starting lineup - other than 17-year-old midfielder Chris Rigg, who was impressive.

At the weekend, Sunderland faced a tricky test at home to Sheffield Wednesday. However, the Black Cats made a mockery of the ostensible difficulty of the opponent, romping to a 4-0 win thanks to goals from Dennis Cirkin, Eliezer Mayenda (X2) and O’Nien.

In what was a fine performance all-round, the showings by Jobe Bellingham and 17-year-old Rigg in particular stood out.

Burnley kicked off their Championship campaign with a thumping 4-1 win away at fellow promotion hopefuls Luton Town. It was a game that was expected to be a back-and-forth encounter between two teams that both inhabited the Premier League last season, but the encounter was anything but, with goals from Josh Brownhill, Wilson Odobert, Dara O’Shea and Vitinho firmly putting the Hatters to the sword.

Burnley then followed that win up with another thrashing, this time at the expense of Cardiff City. Goals from Luca Koleosho, Josh Brownhill, Zeki Amdouni and Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson, on top of a Cardiff own goal, resulted in a dominant 5-0 win, securing Burnley’s excellent start to the season.

The Clarets have barely got out of third gear so far, and from the opening two games they quite clearly look like the league’s outstanding team.

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