Burnley V Sunderland – Saturday 19th September

Burnley V Sunderland

Kick-Off: Saturday 19^th September – 12:45 GMT

Venue: Turf Moor

Burnley

League Position: 11th

Recent Form: LWWLL

After crashing to a convincing defeat at the weekend, it’s now down to the manager; Owen Coyle, to rally his Burnley troops as the clarets head into a game where not only are they fancied to sneak a result but possibly even record another big victory in front of an expected capacity home crowd at Turf Moor. The Burnley fans have already seen their side win both of their early home fixtures, with massive wins against top notch sides in the form of Everton and last seasons champions – Manchester United. A win over Sunderland wouldn’t match the hype surrounding those two early successes but it would certainly go a long way in aiding their bid to avoid the drop.

Burnley were never going to get anything away at Anfield and the 4-0 defeat at the hands of a resurgent Liverpool really could have been more. Burnley were lacking a lot of qualities in that game but what they missed the most was the support of a large home crowd. They will have that this weekend in game they have every chance of getting something out of. However, they will need to improve on their weekend performance, although, if they were to emulate the displays against both Everton & Man Utd, Burnley could secure their third home victory of the season.

Sunderland

League Position: 6th

Recent Form: WLWLW

Burnley may come into this crucial fixture off the back of a heavy defeat whereas Sunderland will be buoyed by their weekend antics which seen them slaughter Hull City at The Stadium of Light, running out worthy 4-1 winners. However, although that result was superb in it’s entirety, that was a home fixture and Sunderland have already come a cropper in a similar away day out against one of the potential struggler’s in Stoke City, losing 1-0 at The Brittania stadium. They did, however, beat Bolton at The Reebok so it could be a case of which Sunderland side decides to show up.

Darren Bent bagged two goals at the weekend, extending his league tally to four goals. The England hopeful will be over the moon with his recent start and Black Cat fans will be hoping he continues his rich goalscoring form into a game Sunderland will probably be touted as the favourites. Will Sunderland, under the management of Steve Bruce, secure the win they so crave? Well, they are more than equipped to do just that and we mustn’t forget that their defeat at Stoke shouldn’t be too surprising as Stoke are a right handful at home, what with their height and aerial presence in combination with some superb home support. However, although Burnley will have the home support, they won’t boast such a threat nor aerial presence and Sunderland really should comply if they want to maintain their top ten ambitions.

Head-to-Head:

These two teams have never met before in the Premiership so this will be the first official encounter between the two.

Match Verdict: Sunderland to WI N – 7/4 SkyBet

Burnley fans will do their utmost to give their players the support they need to get a result but Sunderland look a dangerous side under Steve Bruce, with their attacking options looking far too strong for a Burnley defence that really doesn’t look ship tight or reliable. Both Darren Bent and Kenwyn Jones, with the latter missing out against Hull last weekend, will be a real handful for Burnley. While, Burnley, on the other hand, don’t boast such forward luxury’s. This won’t be a walk over as Burnley will put up some stern resistance but we feel it will all be in vein as Sunderland grind out their second away win of the season.

Match Odds:

Burnley – 15/8 Bet365

Sunderland – 7/4 SkyBet

Draw – 12/5 SkyBet

SoccerBetting Tip: Under 2.5 Goals – 4/5 SkyBet