Alex Bruce
Hull City defender on Final Score

Burnley have succeeded in making Turf Moor a fortress. As a new team in this division it is vital you win your home games, and halfway through this season they have done that.

Image source, Rex Features

So, how do we see this one?

Well, the form suggests a home win as Burnley's home record is the fifth best in this season's Premier League, better even than Manchester City and Manchester United's efforts.

In contrast, Sunderland have won only one of their 10 away league games. Time to rip up the form book?

Alex Bruce
Hull City defender on Final Score

Image source, Reuters

I cannot understand why Sunderland, as reported, might let Jermain Defoe go to someone like Crystal Palace or West Ham in the January transfer window. Without Defoe, Sunderland don't score. 

Defoe has had an incredible career, returning to the Premier League and maintaining a great goalscoring record, setting his critics straight.

Jermain Defoe has already got eight Premier League goals (half of Sunderland's tally of 16). Can he add to that figure today?

This is your full card for today's top-flight matches

Burnley v Sunderland 

Chelsea v Stoke 

Leicester v West Ham

Manchester United v Middlesbrough

Southampton v West Brom

Swansea v Bournemouth

Liverpool v Man City (17:30 GMT)

Mark Lawrenson
Former Liverpool defender

Burnley got a late win over Middlesbrough last time out, and I think Sunderland will make life difficult for the Clarets too.

What Black Cats boss David Moyes does, quite cleverly, is just let his front three players try to win him a goal and the rest of his team just sit in and are very disciplined.

Sunderland will be ready for a battle and I have a feeling they will get some joy here, despite Burnley's strong home form.

Lawro's prediction: 1-2

Each week Lawro predicts the Premier League results, and this week he is up against American hip-hop duo Run The Jewels. Click here for the full predictions.

Can you do any better? Play our Premier League Predictions game here.

As always, we want your comments and observations. Tweet us using the hashtag #bbcfootball and we will put the best messages on this page throughout the match.

Alistair Mann
MOTD commentator

Image source, Getty

If Burnley beat Sunderland they'll move nine points clear of their opponents and could conceivably end 2016 in the top half of the table.

While Sean Dyche rarely inflates the importance of one fixture against another, those incentives must surely play a significant part in his team's motivation.

The visitors arrive having been hit with yet another significant blow as Jordan Pickford's untimely injury has now added to what is already one of the longest casualty lists in the division.

With at least three of his squad shortly departing for the Africa Cup of Nations, and seemingly little money to spend in January, David Moyes' side can ill afford to lose this increasingly significant fixture.

Championship winners in 2015-16, Burnley can end 2016 in the top half of the Premier League table, while Sunderland are below the dreaded dotted line, as they have been for most of 2016.

Image source, .

Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been one of the top performers of the season, but he will be sitting out for a while as he recovers from a knee injury.

Burnley make two changes from the side that beat Middlesbrough 1-0 on Boxing Day as Steven Defour replaces the suspended Jeff Hendrick with Matt Lowton coming in for Jon Flanagan. 

Burnley: Heaton, Lowton, Keane, Mee, Ward, Boyd, Marney, Defour, Berg Gudmundsson, Gray, Barnes.

Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone makes his first Premier League start since August as Jordan Pickford is out for at least six weeks with a knee injury.

John O'Shea returns to captain the side, while Adnan Januzaj, who was ineligible for the 3-1 loss at Manchester United on 26 December, is also back in the team.

Sunderland: Mannone, Jones, Kone, O'Shea, Djilobodji, Van Aanholt, Larsson, Januzaj, Anichebe, Defoe, Borini.

Hello and welcome to BBC Sport's live text coverage of the Premier League match between Burnley and Sunderland.

It is a vital match for both sides and there is no time to waste, so let's crack on with the team news.

It has not been a great 2016 for Sunderland.

They only survived in the Premier League in the penultimate game of last season and this campaign has not been much better.

With only one league win away from home this season, David Moyes' side will end the year in the relegation zone unless they can win at Burnley.

Meanwhile, Sean Dyche's team began the year in the Championship and they could well end it in the top half of the Premier League table.

Image source, Rex Features