Burnley boss Sean Dyche says a win in the Carabao Cup against Tottenham tonight could be the catalyst to sorting their Premier League form out.

The Clarets are winless in the league so far, though performances have been improving in recent weeks and they took a point at Southampton at the weekend.

Staying in the Premier League will be their top priority, but Dyche hopes seeing off Spurs could help with that.

“The mood is good, a positive display down at Southampton, a few positive displays recently, trying to find the win is the next.

“All winning increases the feel, we are well aware of how important the league programme is for the club of course, but it is still nice to do well in these trophies if you can do.

“We have got through the first two rounds. It will not be easy against Tottenham whether they make changes or not, they are still a very high-level group of footballers, but we like to think ours are growing and getting fitter. We will definitely take on the game.

“We have changed the team in the previous rounds, we have put a team out that I believe we can win and we have done. It is no easy task playing anyone, especially Tottenham, we know that. We will look to make changes, but I believe in the group.

“We are nearly there back to full fitness, we want that to remain, so I imagine we will be making changes.”

They welcome Spurs who have been inconsistent under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

Nuno finds himself under pressure after the 1-0 loss at West Ham on Sunday was their fourth London derby defeat of the season.

It could be a good time to play them, but Dyche said: “Ups and downs and ins and outs, changes of manager, levels of performance, at the end of the day the whistle blows and they will put out a strong team, I have seen their squad list.

“The facts are you have got to perform whether it is a good time or not.”

Max Cornet suffered from cramp in the 2-2 draw at Southampton and could be one of the players to make way.

Dale Stephens is back out on the grass as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury but he will need more time.

Meanwhile, Spurs boss Espirito Santo plans to take all of his big guns to Turf Moor as Spurs aim to reach the quarter-finals of the competition.

The Portuguese has hinted there will be changes, but it will not be a second string outfit.

“Basically yes, but we have players that we need, players that are working hard, maybe with the expectation that they will have more minutes, the expectation that they deserve more minutes,” he said when asked whether his Premier League squad would travel.

“But it’s up to us to manage all these situations individually, at the same time looking at which are the best partnerships for what we want to be as a team.

“It’s going to be a tough match like we expect because Burnley is a good team but it’s a good chance for us to improve, knowing that the Carabao Cup is an important competition for us,” he added.

“We have to go game-by-game and then this game is a final. It’s a chance for us to improve our game, to compete well knowing that we have to manage some situations.

“We have players who need minutes, who deserve minutes, but it’s up to us to manage the situation of the players because what we want is to build a competitive team.

“Focusing only on the match tomorrow, we’re going to face a tough opponent, we know their characteristics - they are very physical, set pieces, aggressive - but at the same time I think we are improving our game.

“The possession has been much better, the dynamics have been much better but they are details that we only can achieve during the competition, so that’s why it’s very important.”