By Chris Harris
They both have an 'Ade' leading the line - Ade Akinbiyi in claret and blue, Emmanuel Adebayor in red and white - but the similarities between Burnley and Arsenal end there.
While Arsène Wenger's side fly high in the Premier League, the Clarets are well off the pace in the Championship and have been in wretched form of late. Burnley have a proud heritage but, of all the 'sleeping giants' in English football, few are in a deeper slumber.
Even Alistair Campbell and Bernard Ingham, Burnley's famous fans, would struggle to put a positive spin on their team's chances of beating Arsenal. But this is the FA Cup and shocks do happen, so Wenger's players cannot afford to be complacent at Turf Moor.
We spoke to Suzanne Geldard of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph for a Burnley perspective ahead of Sunday's Third-Round tie. Read on for more on the buzz around Burnley, the good omens for manager Owen Coyle and the former Gunners who have worn claret and blue in recent years.
THE STORY SO FAR
"The town is buzzing and so are the players. They just
can't wait for Sunday to arrive now. It's the best draw
they could have got. The chairman even said before the draw was
made that he wanted an Arsenal-type of game. He's got his wish
and the town has too. Burnley have struggled since December.
Injuries and suspensions have caught up with them in the last few
games and their home form has been disappointing. This season they
have only won twice at home so I think they see the FA Cup tie with
Arsenal as a bit of a break. It's a chance to take their mind
off problems in the League, it will be a nice diversion. The defeat
at Blackpool on New Year's Day was their worst performance for
a while and the players have said they are still smarting from
that. They're hurting from the performance they gave and they
feel like they owe the fans something. They want to give the fans
something to cheer about."
MAN OF THE MOMENT
"Wade Elliott has been on fire pretty much all season.
He's a right winger and he puts fantastic crosses into the box.
He is leading the assists chart in the Championship at the moment.
Robbie Blake is back for his second spell at the club and he's
wonderful on the ball. Andy Gray is the leading scorer with 13
goals, he's going through a little bit of a drought at the
moment but I'm sure he'll be looking to try and bang at
least one in on Sunday. At the back there's the captain,
Stephen Caldwell, as well. He's very consistent, extremely
solid and an experienced defender."
CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM
"There is a lot of Premier League experience in the squad and
that will be important to them on Sunday. A lot of them have been
there and done it and will be calming influences against Arsenal.
Owen Coyle knows that there are plenty of Arsenal players who can
hurt Burnley, but he's got some good memories of the FA Cup. He
was part of the Bolton side which beat Arsenal in a Fourth-Round
replay at Highbury in 1994 so he's looking to sprinkle some of
that magic this weekend."
TALKING TACTICS
"I think Burnley will look to try and go out and express
themselves. Obviously they will need to be a lot sharper than
perhaps they would in run-of-the-mill Championship games, but I
think they will try to play their own game where possible and see
what they can create from that."
IMPRESSIONS OF ARSENAL
"Danny Karbassiyoon was at Burnley before he was forced to
retire through injury. I've been in contact with him this week.
He is trying to get over for the game and he's really excited
about it. He's spoken to people he knows in both camps since
the draw was made and he's looking forward to a contest between
two of his former clubs. John Spicer started the season quite well
but unfortunately got suspended. He's available again for this
game and he's coming back at a good time. I'm sure
he'll be champing at the bit to be involved on
Sunday."
