After Sunderland dispatched West Ham United 3-0 on their Premier League return, the Black Cats will be looking to build upon that result with a win against fellow Championship promoted club Burnley.
Transfers and Injuries
On Monday morning, the club announced the permanent signing of Nordi Mukiele from Paris Saint-Germain.
Welcome to Sunderland AFC, Nordi Mukiele! đ
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) August 17, 2025
The defender moves to Wearside from Paris Saint-Germain for an undisclosed fee and signs a four-year contract.
âď¸ @livescore
The versatile defender will provide depth and options for Regis Le Bris, whose experience in continental football, including 35 appearances in the Champions League, could prove pivotal to the Mackems. However, I donât see him displacing Trai Hume as the starting right-back for the Wearsiders.
Jenson Seeltâs condition and match fitness remains unknown. The young Dutch centre-back walked off the pitch under his own power after a nasty fall onto his back while challenging for a header, and was seen walking down the tunnel gingerly on the clubâs Access All Areas video on their YouTube channel.
Sunderland will also miss; Dennis Cirkin, Leo Hjelde, Romaine Mundle and Luke OâNien, with Arthur Masuaku also doubtful to appear while he builds match fitness.
The Sunderland Lineup
I foresee only one change to the Starting XI that defeated West Ham in gameweek one, with Omar Alderete replacing the injured Jenson Seelt.
Alderete had a mighty performance off of the bench, assisting Eliezer Mayenda with an inch perfect cross, to open the clubâs account for the season.
The Opponents
Burnley were automatically promoted from the Sky Bet Championship last season, tied with the Champions, Leeds, on 100 points, only losing the title on goal difference.
In head-to-headâs last season, Sunderland beat Burnley 1-0 in August thanks to Romaine Mundleâs 26th minute goal, surviving a late Dan Neil red card. Then for the return leg at Turf Moor, the game ended in a 0-0 draw, thanks to two penalty saves by James Trafford, denying a distraught Wilson Isidor both times.
Burnleyâs Premier League season started with a 3-0 demolition at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur. Josh Cullen pulled the strings for Burnley despite the loss, creating five chances for the Clarets, so Iâd expect him to be a point of focus for the Sunderland midfield trio to shut down.
The Clarets do have significant injury woes, never the ideal situation to start a Premier League survival campaign, with Zeki Amdouni, Jordan Beyer, Armando Broja, Bashir Humphries, Connor Roberts and Axel Tuanzebe all expected to miss this early ârelegation six-pointerâ fixture.
My Prediction
If Sunderlandâs first match, against experienced Premier League opposition, is anything to go by, then Sunderland should win this game. Burnley will make it difficult for Sunderland, likely sitting back in a low block, but I predict Sunderland will win this game 2-1 away at Burnley.
