Burnley boss Vincent Kompany anticipating Lancashire derby vs Blackpool to be played on a 'knife edge' at Bloomfield Road

The two sides shared the spoils in an exhilarating six-goal thriller earlier in the season as the Clarets twice relinquished a two-goal lead at Turf Moor.

Sonny Carey and Ian Maatsen were both dismissed in August as the fixture boiled over in the second half once Shayne Lavery and Jerry Yates had restored parity for the visitors.

With even more to play for on this occasion — as the Championship leaders look to preserve their advantage at the top of the table while the Seasiders are scrapping for their lives at the other end — the 36-year-old ex-Manchester City defender is expecting an even more uncomfortable afternoon at Bloomfield Road.

Burnley will be the favourites heading into the encounter having won 12 of their last 14 in the second tier, in contrast to the Tangerines who have won just once in 17, but Kompany said: "It’s always difficult to say because they’ve got a new manager [Mick McCarthy] so usually you have a very good idea of what teams will try and do, especially when you face them because you’ve faced them before.

“I’ve got to be honest, I was focused entirely on Fleetwood and then I’ll spend the day looking at what I think are their strengths and what I think are the weaknesses we could hopefully exploit. But it’s a team that needs to find a way now.

“They’re no different than any team at this stage of the season. We have to find a way to get a result, because it’s important for us, and they have to find a way to get a result. I can imagine it’s a game that will be played on a knife edge rather than a comfortable Saturday afternoon.”