Sunderland will aim to start reaping the benefits of their new system when they welcome Burnley to the Stadium of Light for their Premier League clash on Saturday.
The Black Cats are yet to pick a point this calendar year but they have recently made changes to improve their firepower.
Sunderland are 16th in the table, just a point above the relegation zone, mainly because they have the second worst attacking record in the division. But Gus Poyet is hoping that the arrival of Jermain Defoe and a switch to a 3-5-2 formation will improve their fortunes.
With two strikers up top, Poyet is urging his players to subject opponents to more pressure and create their own chances rather than wait for mistakes or refereeing decisions in their favour. The Uruguayan will fancy his side to defeat the Clarets despite Sunderland’s three-game losing streak in the league which saw them defeated by Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Burnley are level on points with Sunderland but Sean Dyche will be much more content with his side as they have spent most of the season in the relegation zone and were tipped to be favourites for the drop.
The Clarets may be happy to be out of the relegation zone but they will be concerned by their recent performances because they threw away two-goal leads to lose 4-2 at Tottenham in the FA Cup and 2-3 at home to Crystal Palace in the league.
Sunderland team news
- Lee Cattermole (knee), Adam Johnson (calf), Wes Brown (knee) and Anthony Reveillere (calf) are all doubts after missing the FA Cup draw with Fulham, though they could all return here.
- Jack Rodwell will miss the welcome of the Clarets as he is suspended after his sending off in that FA Cup tie.
Burnley team news
- Matthew Taylor (calf), Stephen Ward (ankle) and Kevin Long (knee ligament) will miss the trip to Sunderland.
- Lukas Jutkiewicz is a doubt with an ankle injury.
Sunderland vs Burnley prediction
Poyet is likely to keep the 3-5-2 formation he has recently been using to accommodate Defoe and Steven Fletcher up top. Billy Jones and Patrick van Aanholt will probably start as wing-backs, while Adam Johnson roams centrally in the hole as the advanced central midfielder.
For the ninth time in a row, this should be another familiar-looking Burnley side with Ashley Barnes operating behind Danny Ings in a 4-4-1-1 formation. Scott Arfield and George Boyd will probably be the wide midfielders dropping to the sides of central midfielders to form a flat line of four when defending, while pushing forward to supply width in attack.
Both sides will view this as a winnable encounter and while Sunderland will probably enjoy more possession and territory, Burnley will show ambition and try to push up in numbers when they attack.
These two sides have drawn the most Premier League games this season and could well cancel each other out here.
Score prediction
Sunderland 1-1 Burnley
