SEAN Dyche may be forced to field a weakened team at Manchester City today but he has told the 7,600 travelling Clarets that his side are going there to win and end the home side’s dreams of a quadruple.

But Dyche admits success in the Premier League has to be his first priority, despite insisting the magic of the cup remains alive.

But he believes the travelling Burnley supporters will make the short trip to Manchester dreaming of an unlikely victory.

“Our fans will go there and back the team as they always do, but there’s a what-if – what if we turn Manchester City over? There’s always that bit of marvel in that,” Dyche said.

“It’s unusual to be talking like that in the Premier League, but I think Man City have been that powerful that most fans – apart from the very top clubs – would be wondering about that what if?

“I think that’s the magic of the cup, everyone is looking for the result where the small club beats the big club, or the local rivalry. That’s what we are all looking for in the cup.”

The Clarets chief said he ‘loves’ the FA Cup, a competition that is close to his heart after Chesterfield’s run to the semi-finals in 1997 when Dyche was a player, but the reality of the cash on offer in the Premier League makes that competition his priority.

Despite accepting he will have to rotate at the Etihad, Dyche insists he will pick a side with the intention of winning the game.

“Ours is by necessity,” he said plans to rotate. “I would love to have gone there fully equipped.

“I don’t want to speak on behalf of other clubs, but I can only presume they will be thinking ‘can I risk him, can I look at him instead’, or maybe someone has got a knock. And that has nothing to do with the mystique of the cup - it just goes back to the business element.

“There are a number of clubs including ourselves, vying to stay in the Premier League, and that does take precedence.

“I love the cup but there has to be just a pure business plan of staying in the Premier League and growing the club. But on the other hand, are we going there trying to win – of course we are. Absolutely. We’ll be trying our best to win.”

Dyche believes fans understand the league first approach and the consequence of weaker sides for cup fixtures.

“I think the fans may be more understanding of that approach than the media suggests – although I can understand why that is said,” Dyche added.

“In pure business terms the welfare of the club revolves around being in the Premier League. Fact.

“Anything else is a bonus. But it doesn’t mean that as a player when you get on that pitch you don’t want to win. It doesn’t affect that. But the finance and kudos of the Premier League, and what it means to this area goes way beyond that.”