Burnley were barely given a hope of promotion when Sean Dyche first led them to the Premier League in 2013/14, and little has changed since.

Relegation back to the Championship followed, but there were few expectations that they would bounce back at the first time of asking.

After seeing off Brighton and Middlesbrough to claim the second-tier title, the theme followed again with a Groundhog Day return expected last season.

A team built around home form did more than enough to escape the drop last time around, and has continued to defy expectation this year, and even push for a European place.

The Clarets have shown the value of trust and patience, not losing faith in Dyche after his first relegation and giving him time to build the kind of squad which can become a genuine challenger for a Europa League spot.

That base is once again formed of a superb defence - the third best in the league to date, in fact - with Watford unlikely to find many gaps to exploit at Turf Moor this afternoon.

That could make it a quiet afternoon for former Claret Andre Gray, making his first return to the club since his £18.5 million move to Watford in the summer.

His replacement, Chris Wood, has been in decent form to keep the goals flowing, netting four in 11 so far, and crucially winning them six points with his strikes.

It's an easy stereotype to suggest Burnley play attritional football, but there is quality as well as organisation, and Steven Defour, the classy Belgian midfielder who came close to leaving in the summer after falling out of favour, is right back in the mix.

Today's game could be a low-scoring affair, especially with Burnley midfielder Robbie Brady, who has enjoyed a great season to date, ruled out with a long-term injury suffered in last weekend's 1-0 reverse at Leicester.

But with two master tacticians coming head to head it should be a game high on quality - especially with both sides upsetting the odds so far to fancy themselves for a 'best of the rest' spot come May.