Burnley boss Sean Dyche has warned his players not to expect an easy ride when they travel to winless Cardiff.
Neil Warnock’s Bluebirds have endured a difficult time since promotion to the Premier League, picking up just two points and scoring only three times in six games.
The Clarets have also had some early-season problems and struggled to replicate the remarkable form which saw them qualify for the Europa League in May.
Last weekend’s 4-0 thrashing of Bournemouth was their first win of the campaign and Dyche feels they will have to repeat the desire shown in that game to pick up points from the televised fixture.
“They’ve had a tough start, partly because of the realities of their fixtures, partly because it’s tough in the Premier League,” Dyche said of Cardiff, according to his club’s website .
“We’ve been through that ourselves and been through that before in this division.
“I thought that was very pleasing last week to get a result. We have to earn the right again.
“There are no ‘gimmes’ and no easy games.”
Sunday’s clash is the first Premier League meeting between the two clubs.
Burnley have never won at the Cardiff City Stadium following the Bluebirds’ relocation from Ninian Park in 2009.
Four of their five visits have ended in draws, while they were thumped 4-0 in October 2012, a week before Dyche’s appointment.
“The main thing for me is to focus on what we do and the clear focus of how we perform,” added Dyche.
“Every game in the Premier League is a must-win, every game is a big game and every game you have to give everything to win, or certainly when you’re Burnley or a number of other clubs in the Premier League.”
Clarets midfielder Steven Defour could be involved in a Premier League squad for the first time since January following knee and calf injuries, but Republic of Ireland winger Robbie Brady remains unavailable.
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