Burnley FC sent warning over "livewire" Sheffield Wednesday player | OneFootball

Our Owls fan pundit thinks Djeidi Gassama is the player that the Clarets should be most worried about ahead of Friday's clash

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Sheffield Wednesday winger Djeidi Gassama has been selected as the main player that promotion hopefuls Burnley should most watch out for as the Owls head to Turf Moor for a Championship clash in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Friday night.

Wednesday have impressed in the second-tier as of late, and currently sit ninth in the table, just three points from West Brom in sixth, but will be facing an uphill battle for three points as they make the trip over to East Lancashire to take on Scott Parker's resolute Clarets.

Burnley currently boast the best defensive record in Championship history at this stage of a season, with just nine goals conceded in 33 games so far as they occupy third place behind Leeds United and Sheffield United in the automatic promotion spots.

The Owls' chances of even scoring a goal are slim, despite their recent impressive record on the road, but French attacker Gassama has been picked out as one to watch as they try and end the Clarets' outstanding run of 11 consecutive league clean sheets this weekend.

Wednesday fan pundit offers Djeidi Gassama verdict ahead of Burnley encounter

Versatile forward Gassama is now well into his second season as an Owls player after joining from PSG in August 2023, and he has grown into a key player under Danny Rohl, particularly over the last few months, to become one of the first names on his teamsheet as Wednesday chase a top six finish.

The 21-year-old registered four goals and three assists in 37 games in his first campaign at Hillsborough, and has notched five goals and one assist in 34 appearances this season, with starts in all but two of the club's last 19 games in league and cup.

Gassama has solidified himself as a fan-favourite in S6 for his fearless nature, impressive dribbling skills and trickery, and while he may not be the most prolific of forwards, our Owls fan pundit Patrick McKenna has warned Burnley of his ability to make a chance from nothing, after we asked him to pick one player that the Clarets should be concerned about ahead of Friday evening.

“In regards to a player that Burnley should be worried about, I think the answer to that at the minute would definitely be Djeidi Gassama,” Patrick told FLW.

“He has been a real livewire for us this season, really demonstrating what he can do.

“What that is, essentially, is that he offers that spark. He has pace, he is able to take defenders on and jink past them.

“He’s scored a few goals this season, but he’s shown more awareness as well and has been able to chip in with some assists.

“One thing he can do is, maybe when we’re flagging a bit, he is able to inject some life into our attacks and move the ball up the pitch.

“I know Burnley have had an insanely good defence this season, and they are very disciplined at the back, so to breach their defence is going to be a real tough task.

“But, I do think that you need a player like Gassama, who, kind of out of nowhere, can take the initiative.

“If he gets in behind Burnley, then no matter how good their defence is, we’ll look more attacking.

“If he helps us nick a goal on the break, then it’ll certainly open the game up and give us a fighting chance.”

Sheffield Wednesday's recent scoring record could see them spring a surprise against Burnley

Aside from a 3-0 defeat to table-toppers Leeds last month, Danny Rohl's side have scored in each of their last 14 games in both the Championship and FA Cup, and they have scored the sixth-most goals of all second-tier teams so far this term, with 46 strikes in 33 games.

That is an impressive record, but it is let down by their poor defensive statistics, which have seen them concede 50 times in the league up to now - the fifth-highest in the Championship. With that said, Burnley do not score or concede many goals, so despite their recent impressive defensive record, the Owls will feel well-prepared to give it their best shot of netting past James Trafford this weekend.

To add to that, Wednesday have picked up numerous wins away from home in recent weeks, with a 2-0 victory at QPR on January 25, as well as a 1-0 win at Swansea on February 12. Their visit to Turf Moor can be seen as somewhat of a free hit, given the context surrounding the Clarets, and so it may allow someone like Gassama to play to the best of his abilities without the pressure of a must-win game.

The 21-year-old can unlock defences singlehandedly when he is on form, and has already netted on the road this season against Premier League high-flyers Brentford and fellow Championship playoff-hopefuls Coventry City, so will undoubtedly be looking to add Burnley to that impressive list come Friday night in East Lancashire.