Burnley v Sunderland Betting Tips: Home form too strong to ignore

The only all-Premier League FA Cup 3rd round replay taking place sees Burnley host Sunderland after a rather drab 0-0 in the North East just over a week ago.

My favourite Premier League tip of the weekend was certainly Burnley to beat Southampton on Saturday. I could not believe the price on the hosts, especially given their recent form, and it paid dividends. The Clarets have now only lost one of their last five matches, winning three of them.

As mentioned numerous times when writing about Burnley, their solid defence is what allows them to achieve results. Sean Dyche’s men have kept three clean sheets in their last five and only conceded 31 times this season – the third best record in the Premier League’s bottom 12 clubs.

The Clarets do find goals hard to come by sometimes but even that department has improved having found the back of the net in all but one of their last six matches in all competitions.

Home form is crucial to Burnley and it is this record at Turf Moor, which has seen them win each of their last four matches on home soil, that has put them into the league’s top ten. Additionally, going into this FA Cup tie, it is worth noting that Burnley have not lost a home FA Cup match since 2008.

Despite having the majority of the ball and chances in the initial tie, Sunderland could not find a way to break down an ever-resilient Burnley outfit. The Black Cats are currently on a wretched run which has seen them win just once in their last eight matches in all competitions. This FA Cup replay is hardly what Sunderland need right now as they are in the midst of a relegation dogfight.

In contrast to Tuesday’s opponents Burnley, defence has been the main problem for Sunderland with them conceding a huge 12 goals in just five games, whilst their Premier League record of 40 conceded in just 21 matches is pretty horrific.

Fortunately for them, they do have a talismanic striker in the form of Jermain Defoe to ensure that they do get a few goals themselves. However, the former England striker cannot be expected to win every game on his own – the whole team needs to contribute much, much more.

Life on the road has been miserable for David Moyes’ men having lost their last four matches away from the Stadium of Light. In fact, their latest loss on their travels came at Burnley on New Years Eve. Furthermore, Sunderland have lost three of their last four FA Cup away ties and have not beaten top flight opposition on the road in more than 12 years.

The omens look pretty bad for the Black Cats going into this match on Tuesday night and I am certainly backing Burnley to win at a shade above even-money. The hosts can continue to go strong against a side who’re struggling. 

See all of Tuesday’s FA Cup tips here.