Carabao Cup tie against Manchester United will be a good yardstick for Burnley as Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany returns to Old Trafford
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The Manchester City legend feels the fourth round tie at Old Trafford on Wednesday night will provide a good barometer for where the Championship league leaders are at.
The Clarets, now eight points clear of third place Blackburn Rovers in the second tier at the halfway stage, will be pushing for an immediate Premier League return, after relinquishing their top flight status last term.
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Hide AdThe table toppers, and the highest scorers in the four tiers of English football, spent six successive seasons at the highest level, and had some joy against the Red Devils during that time frame.
But a lot has changed at both clubs since their last meeting in February when the two rivals shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Turf Moor, with Jay Rodriguez cancelling out Paul Pogba's opener.
"I'm not at Manchester City anymore, I'm at Burnley," reiterated Kompany. "It's still a North West derby and I think for us it gives us a chance to measure ourselves against some of the best and see how far we've come and how close we are. That in itself is more exciting for me than the fact that we're going to Old Trafford.
"I've been on that pitch a lot of times as a player so I know what these players can do, but I've never been there with Burnley, so for me it's going to be more about discovery. I'll be able to see really clearly how far we are and how close we are."
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Hide AdDepending on the options available to him — with Vitinho sustaining an injury, Nathan Tella under the weather, Anass Zaroury still in his World Cup bubble and Connor Roberts the subject of a red card appeal — former Belgium international Kompany is expected to name a strong side for the short trip to the Theatre of Dreams.
He said: "At the moment I just want the team to recover well, then we'll see what the damage is from this game, and with the schedule ahead we'll make sure that we've got a team that can compete at Old Trafford and hopefully give something to our fans.
"I really believe in making the next game the most important one. Always. This game to me doesn't really wear a badge; it's one that we want to perform in and improve in and so we'll treat it with the same respect as any other game."
The 36-year-old, a four-time winner of the EFL Cup, is expecting to play the part of the pantomime villain against the club he spent 11 years at war with during his stay at the Etihad.
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Hide AdHe played in the Manchester derby 24 times, with 14 of those on enemy territory, and his last visit ended in a 2-0 triumph in April 2019, when goalkeeper Arijanet Muric was on the bench for Pep Guardiola's eventual champions.
"I've played a couple of times there as a player," he said. "It's the first time I'm in it with Burnley. I'd feel almost offended if I didn't get a bit of stick when I got there. Everything else I'll take with a pinch of salt, it's about the performance of the team for me."