Sheffield United handed revenge warning ahead of top two clash at Burnley

Second in the Championship table, 11 points behind their latest opponents with seven matches of the season remaining, Paul Heckingbottom’s side triumphed 5-2 on home soil earlier this term thanks to Oli McBurnie’s brace and further goals from Iliman Ndiaye, Jack Robinson and Anel Ahmedhodzic. The division’s runaway leaders and already promoted back to the top-flight, Burnley remain unbeaten in league competition since then. Speaking ahead of the return fixture in Lancashire, Kompany’s opposite number Paul Heckingbottom admitted that makes them an even more formidable proposition for his side.

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“I know Vincent will want to put that result right,” he said. “From their perspective, they’ll want to set the record straight, without a shadow of a doubt. They’ve made a few changes since then, brought a few new faces in. We’ve both got personnel back (from injury) and in that regard, more so us than them. The one thing you can say is that we’re both going to be desperate to win for different reasons.”

Still the favourites to join Burnley in the top-flight next term, United cross the Pennines having beaten Wigan Athletic on Friday. That result saw them move eight points clear of third.

Predicting the circumstances surrounding the clash with Burnley will suit a squad he believes produces its best football under pressure, Heckingbottom said: “I know, if I was Vincent, I’d want to prove something in this game. I know I’d want to get them back. But we like that. I think it’s good for us.”

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Despite insisting the occasion is likely to bring the best out of United, Heckingbottom paid tribute to Burnley’s achievements since being relegated last year.

“They’ve been so consistent, we know they can play good football and we know if they get in front that they can score goals,” he said. “That consistency has been the difference and, fair play to them for it, in a division like this one.”

“They were on a long unbeaten run when we last faced them and then, after that, they’ve been on another one,” Heckingbottom added. “Our confidence is that we were the last team to beat them and we know we are a good side ourselves.”

United face Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals later this month, with Pep Guardiola’s men having thrashed Burnley 6-0 in the previous round. Tommy Doyle and James McAtee, both on loan from the Premier league title-holders, are ineligible for selection at Wembley but should feature at Turf Moor. Kompany, a former Belgium international, won 12 trophies during his own spell at the Etihad Stadium before completing his coaching apprenticeship with Anderlecht.

“It’s all to play for us,” Heckingbottom said. “There’s going to be twists and turns, you can be sure about that, because no one is going to mirror everyone else’s results. That’s not going to happen. One game at a time, that’s how we’re looking at things.”

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