Burnley forward Ashley Barnes has expressed his belief that his side's two-week break from competitive action has allowed them to refocus in their push for Premier League survival.
The Clarets sustained a devastating loss to Crystal Palace last time out as they allowed Alan Pardew's men to rally from 2-0 behind to claim a 3-2 win at Turf Moor.
Sean Dyche's men were not in action in the FA Cup last week, and Barnes has admitted that he and his teammates have used the time off to regain their composure for their match against Sunderland.
Barnes told the club's official website: "It's been a good, little break. We had a couple of days off over the weekend which the gaffer gave us to mentally refocus and then we cracked back on with training on Monday.
"After the last game we wanted the next one to come quick, but that's gone now. We've let it go and it's out of our system. We've got a big game coming up and it's going to be a big challenge against Sunderland and hopefully one where we'll come out on top.
"It's very tight down the bottom of the table, but we've just got to focus on ourselves, take each game as it comes and see where it takes us. Our focus is on Sunderland now and we're ready to go again."
Burnley are 17th in the Premier League going into the match at the Stadium of Light.
Simon Sinclair
