Championship rivals Sunderland and Burnley go head-to-head on Friday night in a game that could change the complexion of the title race this season.
Sunderland go into the game in fourth place, but the gap at the top of the Championship table has closed significantly of late.
Indeed, a win for Regis Le Bris’ side on Friday would take them level on points with league leaders Leeds United, at least for 48 hours.
As we prepare to watch Burnley and Sunderland do battle in this promotion six-pointer, trying to predict a scoreline for the big game is proving difficult for anyone to pin down.
- READ MORE: Regis Le Bris explains how Enzo Le Fee will fit into Sunderland midfield, hints at debut vs Burnley
Benjamin Bloom thinks Sunderland can get a point from Burnley
Discussing the next round of fixtures on the Championship Check-In podcast, Benjamin Bloom and Sam Parkin touched on Burnley’s strengths and weaknesses and suggested their strong defensive record twinned with poor attacking returns could make this a very tight game indeed.
Parkin said: “I don’t think I can change my feelings towards Burnley overnight. Maybe by the end of the transfer window they’ll start scoring more goals.
“They’ve built on those foundations under Scott Parker since Sunderland got the 1-0 win earlier this season at the Stadium of Light, but that was when he wasn’t sure what his squad looked like. So I’m going to flip it and say a boring 1-0 to Burnley.”
Bloom added: “I can see that happening all day long. I think it’ll be so tense. I thought you were going to say 1-1, but I’ll take it. That’s far more help to Leeds and Sheffield United than it is to these two.
“Well no, actually, with Sunderland winning the home game, if they can then get a draw and have taken four points from Burnley, they will be very happy with that.”
- READ MORE: One Burnley player that Sunderland should look to target, and one that could exploit Regis Le Bris
Avoiding defeat against Burnley is crucial for Sunderland
Le Bris has some big decisions to make when it comes to the Sunderland lineup against Burnley — does he go 4-4-2 and hope to frustrate the Clarets, or revert to his 4-5-1 system and flood the midfield instead?
At the end of the day, whatever Sunderland do on Friday, it’s going to be an incredibly tough game. Neither team will want to lose this one, and that could well leave us with a fairly lifeless match in terms of entertainment value.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 26 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 48 | 19 | 29 | 53 |
| 2 |  BurnleyBurnley | 26 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 31 | 9 | 22 | 52 |
| 3 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 36 | 17 | 19 | 52 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 26 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 39 | 22 | 17 | 50 |
| 5 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 43 | 32 | 11 | 41 |
| 6 |  West BromWest Brom | 26 | 9 | 13 | 4 | 32 | 21 | 11 | 40 |
Sunderland won’t care, though. All that really matters here for the Black Cats is that they do not lose, and any point taken at Turf Moor would keep them well in the title race.
The longer Sunderland can remain on track for promotion, the better, and while a point won’t change their position in the league table, it will see them through one of the most difficult games of the season unscathed, and the momentum that can bring is huge.