Burnley manager Sean Dyche has challenged his players to rise to the occasion in the style of Lionel Messi when they take on relegation rivals Hull in a match that could decide their fate in the battle for Premier League survival.

Dyche's bottom of the table team travel to the KC Stadium eight points adrift of fourth bottom Hull with only three games remaining and know anything less than a victory will condemn them to relegation.

The Clarets have lost their last four matches and, even if they beat Hull, will still need to win their last two fixtures against Stoke and Aston Villa to avoid returning to the Championship just 12 months after their promotion.

Burnley have also set a club record of 569 minutes without a top flight goal, beating the previous mark of 565 minutes set earlier in the season.

But, despite the bleak situation, Dyche hasn't given up hope of a great escape and wants his players to draw inspiration from the way Barcelona forward Messi scored twice to fire his team to a 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.

"The quality is there, I believe in the players, it is just the moment of quality, and delivering that at the key moments," Dyche said.

"You know the little fella who has done all right over in Spain? He (Messi) had a couple of moments like that, when he was prepared to deliver the quality (against Bayern).

"They are often the defining margins in any game. We were on the right side of it to the tune of only losing five games last year.

"This year has been a lot tougher job, of course, but the approach has always been to win.

"Obviously we are at that last-chance stab at it. You have got to be reality-bound, but the lads are definitely up for it. They have been all season."

Meanwhile, Hull manager Steve Bruce has urged his players to remain calm as they prepare for Saturday's potentially decisive fixture.

The Tigers are one point above the bottom three, but third bottom Sunderland have the advantage of a game in hand, leaving Bruce's sude desperate for a win to move clear of the drop zone.

"It's a big, huge game and we're all well aware of what it means," Bruce said.

"But it's important we stay calm and positive - we have to play the game and not the occasion."

If history is any guide, Burnley should be the favourites, having won eight of the last nine meetings between the teams, including a 1-0 victory at Turf Moor in November.

Hull were beaten 3-1 by Arsenal on Monday but had won their previous two matches against Crystal Palace and Liverpool.

"If we're being honest our record against them (Burnley) isn't great over the years," Bruce said.

"We're mindful of that but we're at home and we've got our supporters behind us. It's all to play for.

"We've shown in the past few weeks that we're determined to stay in this division.

"We know we're capable. Burnley are a very good side but they're not Arsenal.

"We have to make sure we're ready for it. We understand the importance of it."