Clarets aim to shock leaders Chelsea

It will come as little surprise that Sean Dyche considers leaders Chelsea as “the best side I’ve seen and we’ve come up against this season.”
Shock: Scott Arfield celebrates his goal against Chelsea at Turf MoorShock: Scott Arfield celebrates his goal against Chelsea at Turf Moor
Shock: Scott Arfield celebrates his goal against Chelsea at Turf Moor

But Burnley will not change their brave approach to games at Stamford Bridge against the champions-elect.

The Clarets need results and points to clamber out of the bottom three, with 13 games remaining, and will have to be at their very best to get anything tomorrow against Jose Mourinho’s men, who have only dropped two points at home all season - against champions Manchester City.

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Dyche said: “They are champions-elect - if someone tops them, they will have had an amazing season.

“I think they’re the best team we’ve come up against, and the best I’ve seen.

“They have hugely talented players, so there is a reality to the situation, but it’s about doing our job - the expectation is on them.

“It’s important we go there and play with that freedom that we have done.”

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League 1 Bradford won in the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge a month ago, but Dyche isn’t inspired by that shock result: “It was a different competition, with a different feel to the game.

“It’s about knowing what we do, taking everything with us to perform.

“The idea is to keep performing - performance levels over a season usually bring what you want.

“There are no guarantees, but if we keep playing to our capabilities it gives us a chance.”

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Performances have not reaped points over the last two games, but Dyche added: “You can grind out the odd result when not playing well, but you can’t guarantee the next one - our focus is on delivering a performance with each game.”

Dyche expects top-scorer Danny Ings to be fully focused after his weekend trip to Spain for talks with Real Sociedad: “I never expect anything else from him - I don’t think anything else matters other than him enjoying his football, which is what he is doing.

“It’s a professional business and it’s the nature of the situation.”