SEAN Dyche hopes Burnley can take advantage of the ‘expectation’ put on the Sunderland squad by boss Gus Poyet and the Black Cats fans.

The Burnley manager believes his side can play with ‘more freedom’ than at any other stage of the season, having already proved the doubters wrong.

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And he hopes that mentality will help them on Wearside, with Sunderland having won just once at the Stadium of Light in the Premier League so far this season.

The two clubs occupy the two places directly above the relegation zone and are separated by goal difference only, but Dyche reckons the pressure is all the home side before tomorrow’s crucial fixture, especially with their addition of Jermain Defoe during this transfer window.

“Gus has been putting a lot of expectation on his players for this game,” he said. “I think the fans do there, there is a really big expectation, there are a big, massive club, and they get a full stadium so you understand that expectation, they’ve got to try and live up that.

“We’ve got to continue to focus on what we’re doing, after 10 games everybody said no chance and here we are sitting in reasonable shape.”

Poyet’s side have just one Premier League win in their last 12 games, a record that sits in contrast to that of the Clarets, who have won four times in that period in the league.

Despite those differing records Dyche said his side wouldn’t be reading too much into taking advantage of a slump in form for the hosts.

“I’m not sure it really works like that at this level,” he said.

“You can’t take anyone lightly.

“When you’re a team like ourselves we can’t take anything for granted in this division, we can’t just go on the fact that someone is having a bad run and expect to win, we have to make sure we’re on it in every minute of every game.”

The two sides met at Turf Moor in the fifth Premier League game of the season and draw 0-0 during a run in which Burnley failed to muster a victory in their opening 10 league fixtures.

The fortunes have been transformed since breaking their duck against Hull City, but despite being in the thick of one of the most hotly contested relegation battles of recent seasons, the Clarets boss believes the pressure is off his side.

He said: “In a weird way we have more freedom than ever because after 10 games everyone was saying we’d need snookers by Christmas.

“Now we don’t all of a sudden so it’s almost freer than ever. Everyone had written us off. Now it’s a case of what’s the worst that can happen? Everyone says I told you. The best that can happen is everyone goes ‘well, fair play’.”

By 3pm tomorrow it will be two weeks since Burnley’s last fixture, having been knocked out of the FA Cup at the third round stage by Tottenham.

The White Hart Lane replay defeat, and the subsequent Premier League defeat to Crystal Palace, twice saw the Clarets let two-goal leads turn into defeat.

But after a 14-day break Dyche insists his side have got those setbacks out of their minds.

“It’s parked, it’s gone, we move forwards,” he said.