Turf Moor
Friday, 17 January 2025, 23:00
Burnley, the best defensive team in the Championship, will welcome Sunderland to Turf Moor on Friday. The hosts are unbeaten at home this season. Can they continue this run? Below, I have the team news, possible starting 11, some interesting facts, expert betting tips, and odds.
Burnley
WWDDW
Burnley advanced to the next round of the FA Cup after securing a 3-1 AET win over Reading in their last game. They will now shift their attention back to the league, where they recorded a 1-0 win over Blackburn in their previous outing, with Zian Flemming scoring the game's only goal in the 60th minute. The 26-year-old Dutch midfielder has now scored three goals in his last two games, and I think his role as a number 9 is gradually yielding promising results for The Clarets.
Scott Parker’s men are unbeaten at home and have only lost two games this season. They sit second on the table with 52 points in 26 games, scoring 31 goals and conceding 9. They have the best defensive record this season, conceding eight goals less than the league's second-best defensive side (Sheffield United). However, Hannibal Mejbri will sit out to complete his suspension, while Jordan Beyer is ruled out due to a hamstring injury.
Sunderland
WDLWW
Sunderland bowed out of the FA Cup after a 2-1 AET defeat to Stoke City in their last game. They now return to the league, where they secured a 1-0 win over Portsmouth in their previous outing. Wilson Isidor scored the only goal of the game in the 7th minute. The Black Cats are unbeaten in seven of their previous eight games but have won just one of their last seven games on the road.
Sunderland sit 4th on the table with 50 points in 26 games, scoring 39 goals and conceding 22. Daniel Ballard, Ahmed Abdullahi, Ian Poveda, Alan Browne, Aji Alese, Niall Huggins, Romaine Mundle and Jenson Seelt are all expected to be out of this game due to injuries, while Enzo Le Fee is expected to make his debut after a loan move from Italian giants Roma.
Possible Starting 11
Burnley — James Trafford, Connor Roberts, CJ Egan-Riley, Maxime Estève, Bashir Humphreys, Josh Cullen, Josh Laurent, Jeremy Sarmiento, Josh Brownhill, Jaidon Anthony, Zian Flemming.
Sunderland — Anthony Patterson, Trai Hume, Chris Mepham, Luke O'Nien, Aji Alese, Dan Neil, Jobe Bellingham, Patrick Roberts, Eliezer Mayenda, Adil Aouchiche, Wilson Isidor.
Interesting Facts
- The Clarets have drawn 3 of their last four home games.
- The last 4 Burnley matches have seen the BTTS-NO results.
- Burnley are unbeaten at home this season.
- The last game between Burnley and Sunderland at this venue ended goalless.
- Burnley have conceded just four goals at home this season.
- Sunderland have won just one of their last seven games on the road.
Expert Betting Tips
Burnley remain unbeaten at home this season, and I think the run will continue because of their strong defensive unit, which has conceded only nine this season and just four at home. With this, I don’t expect the host to lose this game. However, The Black Cats have been unbeaten in seven of their last eight games, and I think a draw is on the cards here.
Our prediction for the match is Under 2 goals for odds of 1.909 at 1xbet.
Our second prediction is to see at least a team fire blank (BTTS-NO) for odds of 1.67 at Betway.
Our third prediction is for both sides to play a draw for odds of 3.40 at Bet365.
Other predictions
