MICHAEL Duff says Burnley’s French trip has helped them lay the foundations for what the club hope will be another season of success.

The five-day stay in Evian-les-Bains, on the shore of Lake Geneva, ends with tonight’s first friendly of 2015 — against Swiss Third Division side Etoile Carouge.

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Summer signing Matt Lowton is set to make his first appearance since swapping the claret and blue of Aston Villa for that of Sean Dyche’s side.

It is understood latest addition Jelle Vossen will be involved, following his move from Genk.

The 26-year-old passed his medical on Monday and signed a three-year deal. But as of last night Burnley were waiting for ratification from the Football League and Football Association, as well as international clearance.

Nevertheless, Duff was looking forward to transferring Burnley’s groundwork from their Evian training, in soaring temperatures, into a game.

“This is where you work hard and hopefully build the foundations for another successful season,” said the 37-year-old, who has signed a one-year deal to take him into a 12th campaign at Turf Moor.

“It is tough but there are worse ways to earn a living, particularly with this backdrop that we are in. It is a little bit of hard work and a little bit of sweat but we are professional footballers and this is what it entails.”

Duff says the preparations for the new season are just as important as the previous two summers ahead of their promotion and Premier League campaigns — if not more so — because they are among the favourites for a return to the top flight.

The defender feels it will be another test for them mentally, as well as physically.

“There is a lot of expectation so it will be a bit different from the last time we went up but we have got to deal with that,” he said.

“We had to deal with being written off all the time last season and having come down you are going to be one of the fancied teams.

“But I think this league has proved in recent years how difficult it can be. You have seen teams that have come down and gone down again, teams like Fulham who have spent £12 million on centre-forwards and not bounced straight back.

“We are under no illusions and we will not be waltzing into games thinking ‘We were a Premier League team this time last year so we should win this’.

“The good thing we have got here is that most of our players have played in the league for most of their career.

“We are fully aware of what we need to do.”

After tonight’s first friendly, Burnley will return to their Gawthorpe training base next week before taking on Accrington Stanley at the Store First Stadium next Saturday (3pm).

The game has been earmarked as a testimonial for Stanley manager John Coleman and his assistant Jimmy Bell.

The duo served the club for 13 years before a return for a second spell in charge last September following James Beattie’s departure.

Meanwhile, tickets for Burnley’s friendly against Rangers at Ibrox Stadium go on sale on Monday.

Tickets for the friendly, which takes place on Tuesday, July 21 (7.45pm), are £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.

Tickets can be purchased from the Clarets’ ticket office and online.

There will not be any sales over the phone for this fixture.