Will Burnley beat the drop?

Sean Dyche believes his squad are capable of Premier League survival

Burnley were among the favourites with almost everyone to be relegated this season, but can they prove the vast majority wrong?

Not so long ago the signs looked good for the Clarets, as they mounted a stirring comeback to draw 2-2 at champions Manchester City, grabbed a point from a thrilling 3-3 draw at Newcastle United - before backing those results up with a 2-1 home win over QPR.

However, since then, they have surrendered a two-goal lead at home to Crystal Palace to go down 3-2, before being beaten 2-0 at Sunderland last time out.

Those losses have pushed Sean Dyche's men back to the edge of the relegation zone and has raised further questions about their survival chances.

A big concern for Dyche recently has been speculation over the future of star striker Danny Ings, who the Clarets boss admitted has been bothered by transfer talk.

Now the transfer window is shut, Dyche will be desperate to see his topscorer refocus and get back among the goals, for if Ings fails to do so, Burnley are facing a very difficult few months.

The England Under-21 international has netted seven times in 20 league appearances, with Ashley Barnes and George Boyd the only other Clarets' players to score more than two, with the recent return from injury of Sam Vokes a welcome boost for all connected to the club.

Just as crucial to the Clarets' prospects is the need to be tighter in defence, with only Queens Park Rangers having a worse goals conceded record in the Premier League this season.

But Dyche must be content with the squad at his disposal, having not made any move to strengthen in January, with the former centre-half having continually backed the players who secured promotion from the Championship last season.

Dyche has also remained steadfast in his belief that there is spirit aplenty around Turf Moor to ensure that the fight for survival will not be given up until the last game of the season.

And a look at the remaining fixtures shows that the battle to beat the drop could go all the way to the final day of the season.

A crunch Turf Moor showdown with West Brom this weekend is followed by a run of tough games, which see Burnley take on Manchester United, Chelsea, Swansea City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Southampton, Spurs and Arsenal in their following eight games.

Points will be hard to come by during that run, with Dyche's belief in the spirit of his squad likely to be tested to the full.

However, if they can remain in touch with safety up to that point, their final few games offer hope of an escape, with season-ending meetings against Leicester City, West Ham, Hull City, Stoke City and last, but by no means least, Aston Villa still to come.

A final-day Claret and Blue match-up at Villa Park could be a crucial fixture, with the Midlanders also in deep trouble towards the wrong end of the table.

Whether the damage will have already been done by then remains to be seen and the suspicion persists that Burnley just do not have the quality needed to preserve their top-flight status.

But, if they do reach the final day of the campaign still with hopes of staying up, Dyche could yet be proved right that spirit and determination will be enough to beat the drop.

Whichever scenario eventually plays out, Burnley will not be left wondering whether they have given their all, Dyche will make sure of that.