PHIL Bardsley is hoping he can continue to be Burnley's lucky charm in Europe.

The right-back is yet to taste defeat in seven appearances in continental competition, three with Manchester United in the Champions League, two with Rangers in the UEFA Cup and now two with the Clarets against Istanbul Basaksehir.

That record, stretching back 13 years to a Champions League qualifier with Debrecen, will be put to the test against Olympiakos tonight in the Karaiskakis Stadium as the Clarets play the first leg of the Europa League play-off against Olympiakos, with a place in the group stages on the line in this tie.

"I’ve always enjoyed playing in Europe. It brings a different feel to it," Bardsley said.

"Styles of football change, the environment, the crowd. I’m looking forward to pitting our wits against some very good players."

There have been suggestions this week that Burnley would be better off out of the Europa League rather than taking on a further six group games.

But Bardsley insists that is not how the team view it.

"We’ve not flown four hours to enjoy the sights of Athens," the 33-year-old said.

"We want to win the tie and get a good result to take back to Turf Moor.

"There are a lot of games if we go through but it’s a challenge we’re looking forward to. It’s been a long time since the club was in Europe and we want this to continue and the only way we can do that is to win the next two legs.

"Teams have struggled being in the Europa League but we don’t see it like that. It’s a challenge and one we’re looking forward to.

"We want to win every game that we play and we want to enjoy this journey. It’s not every season you get the chance to play in Europe. "We want to keep the dream alive and the fans touring Europe with us."

Sam Allardyce suggested this week that Sean Dyche didn't have the squad depth to fight on two fronts.

While Bardsley hadn't heard the comments, he insists Burnley do have the depth.

"Everyone knows what to expect no matter what team the manager selects," he said.

"We can all play our part, as a team we set standards and you have to live up to that when you come into the team.

"The club has recruited a squad and hopefully those players can implement the style and come into the team. We’ve seen that with Joe (Hart), who has been fantastic since he came in."