Now that the international break is over, Burnley return to their push for the Championship title as they host Sunderland in a Friday night fixture.
Burnley went into the international break on an unfortunate note as they were hammered 6-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup. They had a few chances to get on the score sheet but were ultimately no match for the superior quality of the reigning Premier League champions.
While it was undoubtedly a disappointing result, Burnley’s exit from the FA Cup means they can now focus on consolidating their lead at the top of the Championship standings. Vincent Kompany’s men are 13 points clear of second placed Sheffield United and are unbeaten in their last 17 league matches, claiming 14 wins in that run.
One of the more impressive things about Burnley’s campaign is that they are unbeaten at Turf Moor this season. Not only are the Clarets dominant in front of their fans, a lot of their most one-sided wins have come at home with a 4-0 victory over Huddersfield Town and a 3-0 triumph over Wigan among their recent results.
Sunderland’s last outing before the international break was a 1-1 draw with Luton Town in the Championship. They fell behind just after the restart and toiled for a while before Amad Diallo struck the equaliser four minutes from time.
The result means Sunderland have now only claimed one win in their last seven Championship matches. They have suffered four defeats in that run and remain just outside the top half of the table, two points behind 10th placed Watford.
Sunderland have generally done some good work on their travels this season and travel to Turf Moor with a 1-0 victory over Norwich City in their previous away fixture. However, that result only just ended a run of two straight defeats on their travels.
How the bookies view it
Burnley are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 1/2 by Betfred. A victory for Sunderland is valued at 6/1 by Unibet, who are also offering odds of 7/2 for a draw.
Head to head
Burnley have a 30-28 edge with 21 draws from 79 previous matches against Sunderland. The Clarets claimed a 4-2 victory in the reverse fixture back in October.
Players to watch
Nathan Tella is the leading scorer for Burnley this season with 17 Championship goals and netted a hat-trick in the 3-1 win over Hull City in their previous Championship fixture. The forward was also on target in the reverse fixture and is priced at 13/5 with bet365.
Burnley often try to maintain their defensive solidity at Turf Moor and have kept clean sheets in four of their last five home matches. Jordan Beyer has been impressive at the heart of the defence and can lead the team to another clean sheet at 11/10 with Coral.
Anything else catch the eye?
Burnley have won to nil in four of their last five home matches and could be set for a repeat at 7/5 with Paddy Power. With a comfortable home win expected on Friday, a -1 handicap can also be considered at 11/8 with Betfred.
The Clarets have scored in both halves in three of their last four Championship home matches and Friday’s clash can be tipped to follow a similar outcome at 11/8 with bet365.
This England Championship match between Burnley and Sunderland will be played on Mar 31, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Burnley vs Sunderland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
