Burnley v Sunderland: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 18:00 BST 22 August
18:00 BST 22 August
Jordan Butler BBC Sport journalist
The first meeting between newly promoted sides takes place this weekend with Burnley and Sunderland experiencing contrasting fortunes during the first round of matches.
Burnley's impressive 100-point promotion campaign was largely underpinned by two key principles – a near-perfect home record and a watertight defence.
The Clarets conceded just 16 goals in 46 Championship games last term but shipped three in an afternoon on their Premier League return last Saturday. Scott Parker's side performed admirably at Tottenham despite the defeat, and the 3-0 scoreline perhaps flattered their hosts.
A return to Lancashire provides a fresh opportunity for Burnley to open their Premier League account and they were unbeaten on home soil last season, with 14 wins and nine draws from their 23 matches at Turf Moor in 2024-25.
Burnley's first home match of 2024-25 was a 5-0 thrashing of Cardiff City, and although a similar result would be welcomed by all connected to the club, it doesn't appear likely. The team were wasteful in north London on Saturday and failed to take any of the 12 chances they created.
Fan favourite Ashley Barnes was not involved at Spurs but the 35-year-old is the top Premier League scorer in the squad with a respectable 42 goals.
He is also their only current player to reach double figures in the division. The next nearest to his total are Armando Broja and Kyle Walker with eight apiece. Last season's 18-goal top scorer Josh Brownhill has also departed the club and so the simple question remains: where are Burnley's goals going to come from?
Finding the net was not a problem for Sunderland on the opening day as they put three unanswered goals past West Ham at a pulsating Stadium of Light.
It was their first victory in the opening month of a top-flight campaign for 15 years and although the club have made 12 signings, Saturday's three scorers all featured heavily in last season's promotion campaign, a fact that head coach Regis le Bris was quick to recognise.
"They showed they can step up today," he said after the match. "They are really important because they keep the identity of the club and the way we worked last season."
The Black Cats could now win their opening two matches of a top-flight season for the first time since 1980-81. They avoided relegation on the final day of that campaign 44 years ago, and three points here would provide a big boost to their chances of survival before the summer is even over.
Heckingbottom says Iversen is 'best free transfer'published at 19:02 BST 21 August
19:02 BST 21 August
Image source, Getty Images
Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom has hailed goalkeeper Daniel Iversen as the Championship's "best free transfer".
North End re-signed Iversen, 28, on a free from Leicester City this summer.
The Dane made 71 Preston appearances during two loan spells between January 2021 and May 2022.
"Most people here knew what to expect, but it was new for Dan working with me and for me working with Dan," Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"He's really comfortable here, he knows the place, he knows the people. He was really excited to come back and he was chomping at the bit from day one.
"I like to think we got the best free transfer out there. He gives off that aura and hopefully it brings the best out of him."
Media caption,
Parker on team news, 'positives' from defeat and 'mantra' for the seasonpublished at 16:46 BST 21 August
16:46 BST 21 August
Burnley boss Scott Parker has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Sunderland at Turf Moor (kick-off 15:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Parker confirmed Axel Tuanzebe and Bashir Humphreys are both back in training, while Armando Broja is now "another week down the line" and all are "edging to be involved at the weekend".
The Burnley boss felt there were "lots of positives" and "a lot of learnings" for the team to take from their 3-0 defeat by Tottenham on the opening weekend as they are "a young squad" and "still learning things".
On if it is easy to park and move on from that result now: "Yes, definitely. It was our mantra last year and will be this year. Football moves very quickly, psychologically it moves quickly. We can't spend days thinking about it. There is a need to reflect and have a ruthless assessment at times, face up to that and adopt an attitude of how and where we need to improve."
On how much business he is expecting the club to do over the next 10 days: "Hoping to do something if we can. There are different variables that come in this time of year. There are elements in our squad we want to try and improve but I know that is difficult. Regarding outgoings, there will be some players moving to lighten us with a heavy squad."
Parker does not feel Saturday's game is a must-win but thinks the fans will be "vital" this weekend and for the season. He added: "There will be bumpy times and adversity but I feel the fans can help this young team and spur us on, and I know they will be behind us through thick and thin and good and bad."
On what he expects facing fellow promoted side Sunderland: "A good side. A totally different team to the one we faced last year. They have brought in a lot of players, recruited well. I don't think anything has changed fundamentally in the structure, but personnel has changed and they have brought in added quality. Coming off a good result at home, but this is our first home game and a game we are looking forward to."