Our prediction for this Championship match:
Stadium of Light will be the centre of attention when Sunderland and Burnley square off against each other in an eagerly-awaited Championship game. The Black Cats made a promising start to the season, with the team beating Cardiff City (2-0) on the road and Sheffield Wednesday (4-0) at home. Sunderland aim to give fans yet another reason to celebrate, but they will have a big fish to fry against the league leaders. Daniel Ballard and Jenson Seelt should be the only absentees in the home team.
The Clarets, on the other hand, rolled over the likes of Luton Town (4-1) and Cardiff City (5-0) in the first two games of the season and given their attacking potential, there is a big value in betting on both teams to score. In their last meeting at the venue Burnley defeated Sunderland 4-2. Barring any fresh injury worries, Scott Parker is unlikely to make changes to the team that crushed the Bluebirds at the weekend.
Highlighted Player (Jay Rodríguez):
Having progressed through the youth ranks of his hometown club Burnley, Jay Rodriguez was rewarded with a professional debut against Bristol City in December 2007 as an 18-year-old boy. It wasn’t until the 2008/09 season when he began to show glimpses of proper promise for the Clarets, however.
With 15 goals and six assists in 37 Championship outings in 2011/12 campaign, Jay Rodriguez caught the eye of several Premier League clubs and it was Southampton who pounced for his signature in a £7 million deal. Six goals and eight assist in his debut Premier League season were followed by a breakthrough record of 15 goals and three assists in 33 matches of the 2013/14 campaign.
An unfortunate cruciate ligament injury sustained in April 2014 halted his progress as he sat through the entire 2014/15 season. It did not prevent West Bromwich Albion from making a move for Rodriguez in 2017, making him the first signing of the summer transfer window, worth a reported £12 million. The WBA forward features only once for England U21 in 2011 and made a single senior appearance – in a 2-0 defeat to Chile in November 2013.
Highlighted Team (Sunderland):
Sunderland are a professional football club that have been playing their home games at the Stadium of Light since 1997. The capacity of the stadium is 49,000, but before expansion the original ground capacity was 42,000. Red and White shirts are Sunderland’s trademark and the club’s fiercest rivals are Newcastle United. The two local rivals have been contesting in the Tyne-Wear derby since 1898 and there have always been fireworks in what is one of the greatest derbies in English football. Sunderland were on the verge of dropping to the Championship in the 2015/2016 Premier League campaign, but experienced tactician Sam Allardyce eventually helped the team avoid relegation.
The Black Cats have won six First Division trophies (now the Premier League), with the team lifting two FA Cup titles. Sunderland won their first FA Cup trophy in 1937, with the team beating Preston North End 3-1 in the title game. The club was founded in 1879 as Sunderland and District Teachers A.F.C.