Football
ESPN staff 10y

Burnley-Chelsea 'is David vs. Goliath'

Burnley boss Sean Dyche believes his side's "underdog" status puts pressure on Chelsea ahead of their Premier League meeting on Monday.

- Smith: Burnley face testing start

The Clarets clinched their return to the top flight after finishing second in the Championship last season, and they begin their 2014-15 campaign against Chelsea at Turf Moor.

Dyche is braced for the task ahead but has stressed his team will not play merely to avoid defeat, despite the talent boasted by Jose Mourinho's squad.

"Why would staying up be our only goal?" Dyche said in The Times. "Were Crystal Palace thinking like that when Tony Pulis walked in the door last year? They can't have been, surely.

"They were half-dead, which gave them freedom, as they had nothing to lose and everything to gain. We're starting from that position, as everyone has written us off.

"The flipside of that is 'who wants to play Burnley?' We're underdogs and we've got no chance, which puts pressure on the opposition. But most underdog stories actually involve individuals or teams who have a way of working that wins the day.

"Goliath was a giant and David was a little boy, but he had a slingshot, went bang and knocked the giant's head in half! He had a good game plan and it paid off!

"There are ways of trying to achieve things, and we've got to find the best way for us. We haven't got hundreds of millions of pounds, so we have to find a way of making the group successful."

The Sun reports Burnley's team cost in the region of 4.8 million pounds compared to the 196 million pounds spent on Chelsea's current crop.

Dyche added: "There will be a vast gap in resources available, that's the reality of it, but look at what you've got, not what you've haven't.

"Never say never. Was it Cardiff who got three points off Manchester City last season?

"I don't think many would have been expecting that to happen."

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