Dyche hoping for good news on Mee ahead of vital Bees clash

The Clarets visit the Brentford Community Stadium for the first time, sitting six points behind the Bees, with two games in hand.

Skipper Mee has missed five league games this season, and Burnley have failed to win without him, drawing at home to Norwich, losing at former club Manchester City, drawing at Southampton, the defeat at Newcastle, and Saturday’s heaviest loss of the campaign against Chelsea at Turf Moor.

He was ruled out at the weekend after suffering a bang to the knee against Leicester City, tracking back to deny Patson Daka, and Dyche has his fingers crossed Mee will be available in West London.

He said: "Hopefully it will settle down this week.

"It was a close one but it wasn't right, he couldn't walk properly.

"But it's a knock so hopefully that will be quicker to settle down – it's a bad knock, not a twist.”

Summer signing Nathan Collins again showed signs of his vast potential, particularly in a goal-less first half in which Chelsea were kept at arm’s length.

Even with the Blues netting four times after the break, Burnley have only conceded nine goals in his seven starts, and Dyche added: "That's no slight on Collo again though, because I thought he did well - it wasn't an individual thing, it was a collective thing.

"That eight minutes (in which Chelsea scored three times after half-time) was a collective thing, it wasn't about individuals.”