We just take on the game as we would do

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Burnley travel to the Etihad Stadium tonight with Sean Dyche hoping to get one over on their manager Pep Guardiola for the first time.

City have had the benefit of having played one game since the restart but Guardiola warned: “Before the lockdown came into force and football stopped, Burnley were in a good run of form with five games unbeaten and we know the qualities they will bring with them this evening.

Embed from Getty Images“It was good for us to get a game under our belts on Wednesday in the 3-0 win here over Arsenal. After such a long lay-off and with no fans in the stadium, no one really knew how thing would go, but I was pleased with the evening’s work that we produced.”

He admitted: “The problem we need to solve in these opening weeks surrounds the amount of energy the players expend. We must be smart with the way we train and the way we use players over the coming weeks. Everyone will play an important part.

“We are not looking further than each game now. We are concentrating on just one step at a time, on rest and recovery.”

Sean Dyche appreciates tonight’s game is one of the more difficult in the Premier League although realises City are not going to retain the title. He said ahead of the game: “There’s a big gap now and it’s highly unlikely they will catch Liverpool, of course, but they are a top side and it’s always difficult going there.

“I think the thing we are all wondering and debating is how much difference a crowd makes, the lift it gives you and the hardship it can bring on the opposition. That’s all a debate situation, but when you’re playing teams like Manchester City, you are playing the elite level of our market, so it’s always difficult regardless of if there’s a crowd or not.

“It’s tricky for different reasons, but we just take on the game as we would do. The players have been first class.”

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