Burnley manager Vincent Kompany says that unlike some other managers, he does not treat the FA Cup any differently to a league game.
Burnley travel to London to face Tottenham Hotspur on Friday night and Kompany says he is happy with the draw.
Addressing the media Kompany said: “I don’t make a big distinction about the fact it is an FA Cup game or a Premier League game – you have the opportunity to play against one of the best teams in England, which is the best league in the world. So that means a lot.
“I am treating it as an important game for us to continue measuring ourselves against these teams. That is something for me that is important.
“To be brutally honest, it is the best possible draw. You can have these kinds of draws in the quarterfinals, when you have done X amount of games to get that far and you have played against League Two clubs and League One clubs. It is better to have the outcome of these games early, for us.
“Game one – if you win the game you can hope for a positive cup run and carry on. If you don’t win the game, then you move on back to the league.
“I am embracing the challenge anyway, but I am not saying it is a bad draw. It is the right draw at the right time.”
Asked what sort of changes fans could expect to see in the starting line-up, Kompany confirmed that German defender Jordan Beyer would not feature against Spurs after going off injured in the final game of 2023, a Premier League defeat at Aston Villa.
“We look at this game as another Premier League game. The goal for us is to continue trying to play against these teams and to get results against these teams. I don’t think we can afford to do anything too crazy. Maybe one or two, but nothing major,” he said.
Spurs host Burnley at 10pm on Friday night.
