Burnley boss Sean Dyche has stressed the Clarets will head to “super power” Chelsea this weekend with causing another upset at Stamford Bridge very much in mind.
Dyche’s men memorably kicked off their 2017-18 Premier League season by winning 3-2 at Chelsea, the reigning champions at the time.
The teams face each other on Saturday with the Blues top of the table, while Burnley are 18th, having only registered their first win of the campaign last weekend, a 3-1 win against Brentford.
Dyche, whose men have lost six of seven meetings with Chelsea since the August 2017 game, said at his pre-match press conference: “There is a gap between playing teams like ourselves, compared to the super power teams, especially when they are going well, which Chelsea are.
“Can it be done? Yes, we’ve experienced that in the past and we’ve delivered performances that can win against these teams.
“But it is tough. We’re concentrating on the mentality. I know people on the outside don’t give you a chance. But our mentality inside gives us a chance, that’s for sure – we’re thinking nothing other than how we can work as a team to get something from the game, that being a win.
“That’s a start point – not that easy of course, and if you can’t get a win, get a draw, and if you can’t, then you are looking for performance levels.
“But our demand inside the camp is to go there and perform to win.”
Prior to the Brentford game, Burnley’s winless start to the season had seen them draw four times and lose five.
Dyche says that while the camp remained positive during that sequence, the “feelgood factor” has been boosted by the result against Brentford.
He said: “You have to be reality-bound in the Premier League. It’s not easy winning games, it’s not something that happens all the time. And when you are teams like us, you do lose some games, and that’s hard to take.
“But there has to be a consistency within who you are, what you do, and I think we have a nice balance to that.
“Then when the wins come around, of course they just add to the feelgood factor.
“I think we try to keep a positive place here anyway, with the players and staff and the way we operate. I do think we’re a positive sort of thinking unit, regardless of what the challenges are.
“But it does add to it when you win games, of course.”
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Nick Pope has spoken of his happiness at the club.
Asked if he saw his long-term future at Burnley, the 29-year-old England international, who is currently contracted to the summer of 2023 with the option of a further year, said: “Yeah I think so.
“I have been here a good amount of time, and it feels like a really exciting time with new owners and some promising new signings.
“Performances on the pitch are going in a really good direction, although we’ve maybe been on less points than we have in previous seasons I think the performance levels have been really high. I think it is an exciting club to be at at the minute.”
Dyche said: “I think it’s always pleasing when you’ve got your top end of your players with us – and he (Pope) is certainly that – where they want to be here, they enjoy being here and can see the progress that is being made.”
