After a joyous day of transfer chitter chatter, we get some actual football to finish it. Sunderland are sat in mid-table on 33 points and rapidly closing on the magical 40 mark. Few at the start of the season will have anticipating their smooth adaptation to the Premier League but smart recruitment and brilliant coaching has almost-certainly guaranteed them a second season at the top table.
The same, however, cannot be said of Burnley who are nine points adrift of safety and in desperate need of putting a run of results together. They have not won in 14 Premier League games and a facing a swift return to the Championship. Scott Parker regularly stresses the “fine margins” in their defeats, which is fair because they are rarely thumped, but the truth of the matter is they are the second worst team in the league at the moment. Their squad just lacks the cutting edge required to get Burnley over the line in tight matches.
Let’s hope for a cracker.
Kick-off: 8pm GMT