DYCHE FEARS OVER PITCH

BURNLEY are faced with a horror pitch at Olympiacos tonight as Sean Dyche rejected the idea of sacrificing the Europa League to ensure domestic survival. The Clarets did not train at the Karaiskakis Stadium last night, as is customary in Europe, after Olympiacos applied to UEFA for special dispensation to break rules and preserve their surface. Dyche took his squad to Panionios instead and the chaos was hardly ideal preparation ahead of the club’s biggest European game for 51 years. A win over two legs against the Greek club would secure a spot in the group stage, but worries over a pitch described as ‘patchy’ overshadowed the build-up. ‘It’s not great,’ Dyche said. ‘We were made aware that we would have to train on an alternative surface, which they provided which is equally not that great either, but useable. ‘Most Premier League and Championship clubs have surfaces which are usually in very good condition, so we are a little bit spoilt.’ Burnley officials were nonplussed when checking on the pitch yesterday, while Olympiacos sources claimed it is normal for this time of year, with their season not kicking off until Sunday. ‘It will be interesting to see how it plays,’ Dyche added. ‘It’s not ideal. It’s a challenge, but this whole competition is a challenge.’ Former England boss Sam Allardyce this week said that he believes the European challenge is too much for Burnley, advising them to lose this qualifying play-off to concentrate on the Premier League. Dyche rejected that notion and wants his team to grasp their chance of glory. ‘We want to take this on — we’ve made that clear. You want to look back and know you have experienced as many things as possible. ‘The Premier League is unforgiving, we know that. There is a demand on us, from the travelling. That’s the biggest challenge so far.’ Meanwhile, Nakhi Wells is heading on loan to Steve McClaren’s Championship strugglers QPR.