George Boyd backs Burnley to deliver FA Cup upset over Tottenham

George Boyd sees no reason against Burnley continuing their good run of form in tonight’s FA Cup third-round tie against Tottenham Hotspur.

Sean Dyche’s side will go into the third-round clash at Turf Moor on a high after fighting back to claim draws against Manchester City and Newcastle United in the past week, scoring five goals in the process.

Those two matches were preceded by narrow defeats against Liverpool and Tottenham and victory over Southampton, meaning Burnley have emerged from what appeared to be a daunting run of matches with belief very much intact.

Boyd, who scored against both City and Newcastle, has fond memories of the FA Cup having reached the final with Hull City 12 months ago.

Although survival in the top flight is clearly the team’s priority, Boyd sees the match as a great chance to post a victory over one of the Premier League’s big boys.

“These were a tough run of fixtures and nobody expected us to get anything probably but we’ve shown our character again,” Boyd said.

“We can go into our next run of games full of confidence now on the back of the last two results.

“It’s a great game and hopefully there’ll be a big crowd at Turf Moor to get behind us.

“The FA Cup still has that magic and I was lucky enough to get to the final last year with Hull City and that was a great occasion.”

After naming the same side for six straight games, Dyche will make changes.

His hand has been forced after both captain Jason Shackell and his replacement Kevin Long sustained injuries during the first half at St James’ Park.

Shackell’s calf problem is not thought to be serious but Monday is likely to come too soon while Burnley were still waiting to hear whether Long’s knee injury was as bad as first feared.

Dyche, meanwhile, was negotiating with Manchester United over whether on-loan defender Michael Keane, 21, would be available.

Keane’s loan is to end next weekend but Burnley could well seek an extension with their defensive resources stretched.

Even if Keane is permitted to play, Dyche could still need full-back Ben Mee to deputise in the middle of the defence, while midfielder Steven Reid would be another option.