Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has said that his side will have to be at their best in order to overcome Burnley in the last-16 stage of the EFL Cup.
The Red Devils will return to competitive action on Wednesday evening, with the Championship leaders, who are managed by ex-Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, making the trip to Old Trafford.
Ten Hag is confident that his team will be prepared for the match despite the number of players that have been away at the World Cup, but he is expecting a stern test from the Clarets.
"Of course, this is a very unusual campaign," Ten Hag wrote in United Review. "Totally unprecedented, with a six-week break from club football because of the World Cup.
"But we have prepared the players in such a way that they always knew what would be happening, whether they were involved in the World Cup or not. The aim has always been simple: be absolutely ready for our season resuming and now that time is here.
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"I have been in regular contact with our players who were involved in the World Cup, and it was great to see so many of them do well and, in many cases, go into the later stages of the competition.
"But there have also been a lot of players here at Carrington, so we have tried to take advantage of this rare opportunity to spend time together without competitive games.
"I am happy with the state of play as we resume the campaign tonight, but I am well aware – as we all are – that we are not restarting with a straightforward game.
"Burnley are on top of the Championship, which is a difficult league to contest, plus they have been back in competitive action for a couple of weeks already.
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"We want to do well in the Carabao Cup this season and, although we are in different divisions, there is no question that we will have to be straight back into our best form tonight if we are to progress."
Man United were last in competitive action against Fulham on November 13, recording a 2-1 victory over the London club in the Premier League courtesy of a late winner from Alejandro Garnacho.
The Red Devils have played two mid-season friendlies this month, though, suffering a 4-2 defeat to Cadiz on December 7 before losing 1-0 to Real Betis three days later.
Man United will be back in Premier League action against Nottingham Forest on December 27, meanwhile, before ending the year away to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Burnley will enter Wednesday's match off the back of four straight wins in all competitions, including a 3-1 success over Middlesbrough in the Championship on Saturday.
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