BURNLEY boss Sean Dyche admits he has one eye on Saturday's crunch Premier League clash with Southampton as he prepares his side for Tuesday's testing trip to Manchester United.

The Clarets travel to Manchester for the second time in four days having lost 5-0 to City in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Dyche made several changes for that tie and, with a relegation six-pointer against the Saints at Turf Moor on Saturday, the Burnley boss will have to manage his squad carefully.

"We've got no choice because we keep getting stretched," he said when asked if he had to factor Saturday's game into his thinking ahead of the Old Trafford trip.

"Every time we get there we get stretched again. We've had to pull players sometimes to try and make it to the next game. That's the hardest thing, that's the hardest line, you want to be competitive in every game, you want to put your best side out, we wanted to on Saturday but we just couldn't. We felt it was too big a risk with two league games straight on the back of it.

"It was too big a risk, certainly for three players that I can think of. If they break down you lose them for weeks rather than just one game. Those are the tough calls but we have to make them."

Burnley face a daunting test against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side with United having won eight straight games since the Norwegian replaced Jose Mourinho.

The Clarets' Premier League record against the big six does not make pretty reading but they have drawn on their last two visits to United, denied a victory last season by a last-gasp Jesse Lingard equaliser.

And Dyche hopes to profit from the pressure being on United's shoulders.

"There's a reality to it, they're tough games and they're hard to get points from," he said.

"Performance is the king, yet again. That's what you're looking for. I do think there always is that little bit of apprehension from a team, there has to be, because of the power of some of these clubs.

"Equally, it brings that expected performance because Manchester United at home will be clear favourites, they've won all these games on the trot.

"In balance we go there with a little bit of freedom because all eyes are on them, there's expectation on them and once again we're the big underdogs.

"It's just the way it is when you're playing these teams and they're going well. It's a tougher challenge, but it's not an impossible challenge."