Premier League | Gameweek 2 preview | Burnley v Sunderland
Black Cats travel to Turf Moor for matchday two
It is unusual to describe a match as a six-pointer so early in the season, but Scott Parker’s men must take full advantage of a home game against a side they finished 24 points ahead of last season.
Despite the Clarets playing well for large parts of the game, Spurs’ quality was just too much as the Clarets fell to a 3-0 defeat in North London.
Ricahrldson gave a stark reminder of the gulf in quality with his impressive second goal of the afternoon; his brace was accompanied by a impressive solo effort from Brennan Johnson.
Regis Le Bris’ side arrive at Turf Moor second in the table after beating West Ham United 3-0 on the opening day. Goals from Eliezer Mayenda, Dan Ballard and Wilson Isidor gave Sunderland a dream return to the Premier League.
Sunderland have spent the most of the promoted sides, bringing in 12 new players for a combined £143m – the most notable being former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka.
Stat pack
Josh Cullen created the most chances last weekend against Spurs with five – he was tied with Bruno Fernandes and Mohammed Kudus.
Burnley have not lost at home to Sunderland in the league since 2004.
In their 139 total meetings, Burnley have won 39, drawn 34 and lost 48.
The Clarets have not won a top flight home game in August since 2019, when they beat Southampton 3-0.
Sunderland have spent £143m on new talent upon their return to the top flight, the most any newly promoted side has invested in Premier League history.
Granit Xhaka has been sent off twice against Burnley – in 2017 for stamping on Steven Defour and in 2020 for grabbing James Tarkowski by the throat.
Team news –
Burnley
After the defeat at Spurs, Parker has some good news on the injury front.
Bashir Humphreys and Axel Tuanzebe are both back in training, with the former recovering from a serious groin injury.
Connor Roberts is likely to return after the international break; however, the Welshman is progressing well with his recovery from a muscular injury.
The Clarets haven’t made any additions to the squad since the game against Spurs, however, they have started slimming down their 37-man squad - Luca Koleosho has returned to Espanyol on loan.
Manuel Benson played 75 minutes for the under-21s in their defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Jordan Beyer and Zeki Amdouni remain absent with long-term knee injuries.
Sunderland
Sunderland have significantly strengthened across the window, handing 13 Premier League debuts during their opening-day 3-0 win against West Ham.
The Black Cats have combined experience – Xhaka and Simon Adingra – with exciting young talent such as midfielder Habib Diarra and Chelsea loanee Marc Guiu.
Centre-back Nordi Mukiele has also joined from Paris Saint-Germain in a £12.5m deal and could debut at Turf Moor.
Memorable meeting – Burnley 4-0 Sunderland, December 26, 2016
In their second Premier League campaign under Sean Dyche, Burnley put a struggling Sunderland to the sword on Boxing Day.
The result ended 4-0, Burnley’s second-largest Premier League win – the result was also the biggest home win during Dyche's Premier League era.
Andre Gray scored the Clarets’ first Premier League hat-trick – which was their first in the top flight since 1975, with Ashley Barnes adding a penalty.
Played for both – Phil Bardsley
The right-back made more than 175 appearances in a four-year stint at Sunderland, enjoying his most productive spell under Gus Poyet. He helped the club escape relegation and reach the 2014 League Cup final.
Bardsley later joined Stoke City before moving to Burnley in 2017. He played 57 times in five years at Turf Moor but never cemented a regular starting place.
After leaving Burnley, he joined Stockport County, where injuries restricted him to just two appearances before retiring in 2023.