Match Preview: Burnley v Sunderland - everything you need to know ahead of kick-off!

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Friday 31st March, 2023

(1st) Burnley v Sunderland (11th)

Championship

Turf Moor

Kick-Off: 20:00

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Tickets & Match Coverage

Tickets: Tickets are sold out.

TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available via Sky Sports.

Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)

Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.com!

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The build-up...

We’re in a position where the prize on offer above us is almost out of reach and there is enough distance between ourselves and the dogfight to avoid the drop below that we can breathe easily. It’s a strange feeling.

Combine this with the fact that we’re on a run of one victory and four defeats in the last seven games, the trip to Burnley is a daunting task, but these are the type of fixtures that appears to bring out the best in this team. Three of our best performances in 2023 have come against Middlesbrough, Norwich City, Sheffield United as well as Premier League Fulham.

Our form away from home is what provided hope that we could challenge for the top six and it still remains the fifth best record in the Championship. Before our bad week in February where we went down at Rotherham and Coventry we hadn’t been on the losing side since Blackburn in mid-October.

We’ve also scored in our last 22 games in all competitions and only Middlesbrough have a better scoring record on the road than Burnley, so bank on the pundits on duty to guarantee us goals in the build-up to kick-off tonight.

Photo by Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Taking on Burnley on a Friday night evokes memories of Carlos Edwards at the Stadium of Light and a scene of celebration, but in front of the Sky cameras at Turf Moor tonight, the stats suggest getting anything from the game is going to be a tall order.

Burnley are 16 points clear of Middlesbrough in 3rd with a game in hand and 13 points clear of second placed Sheffield United. They haven’t lost a league game since the 5th November At home they have won 14 and drew 5 out of 19 games at Turf Moor so far. As a result of this they have the best defensive record in the league on their own patch and only Middlesbrough have scored more.

Unless they suffer a ridiculous loss of form Vincent Kompany’s side are heading for the Premier League and tonight’s game is a test at any time, but especially difficult considering our current injury list.

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

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The betting...

It’s fair to say the bookies fancy Burnley to claim all three points tonight with odds of 4/9, with the Lads priced at 6/1 and the draw is around 16/5.

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Head to head... at Turf Moor

(All competitions)

• Sunderland wins: 16
• Draws: 15
• Burnley wins: 29
• Sunderland goals: 61
• Burnley goals: 107

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Last time we met... at Turf Moor

Wednesday 28th August, 2019

League Cup - 2nd Round

Burnley 1-3 Sunderland

[Rodriguez 11’ - Grigg 35’, Flanagan 47’, Dobson 50’]

Sunderland: Burge, McLaughlin, Flanagan, Baldwin, Hume, Gooch, McGeouch, Dobson, O’Nien (Power), Embleton, Grigg (Wyke) Substitutes not used: Patterson, Ozturk, Sammut, Diamond, Kimpioka

Burnley: Hart, Bardsley (Lowton), Taylor, Hendrick, Long, Gibson, Lennon (Wood), Drinkwater, Rodriguez, Vydra, McNeil Substitutes not used: Peacock-Farrell, Pieters, Dunne, Cork, Richardson

Attendance: 7,445

Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images

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Played for both...

Chris Waddle

Waddle became one of the best players in the world in the years after leaving Newcastle for Spurs in 1985. He became the third most expensive player in the world when Marseille took him to France for £4.5million in 1989.

Sheffield Wednesday and Trevor Francis brought him back to England at the age of 32 for £1million in 1992. After four years he was released from Hillsborough, and after brief spells with Falkirk and Bradford City, joined Sunderland in our bid to survive relegation from the Premier League on deadline day 1997.

After seven games, one relegation and one unforgettable goal, Waddle joined Burnley in the summer of 1997.

Photo by Laurence Griffiths/EMPICS via Getty Images

John Mullin

John Mullin was one of Peter Reid’s first signings for Sunderland in the summer of 1995 from Burnley. After making a handful of appearances during Sunderland’s promotion season in 1995-96, Mullin would go on to make ten Premier League appearances with a notable contribution of scoring the winner in a 2-1 victory at Roker Park over Manchester United.

He also had the honour of scoring the last ever goal at Roker Park when he scored the only goal in the ‘Farewell to Roker Park’ match against Liverpool in 1996. He eventually signed for Stanley via Rotherham United and Tranmere Rovers in 2008 where he made 32 appearances over the next two years.

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