SOCCER: Every route leads to the same collision. Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez have been in England only since 2004 but their clubs will have met in all possible competitions during that period once they face one another in the FA Cup semi-final.

There have been nine fixtures between Chelsea and Liverpool over the last two seasons. Such frequent encounters leave a legacy of ill will. With Chelsea cast as the pantomime villains of English football, the grudges could proliferate. The build-up, the game itself and the aftermath will probably be debilitating. That prospect must appeal to the contenders in the other semi-final, who can go about their business in relative peace.

West Ham are pitted against the winners of the sixth-round replay between Middlesbrough and Charlton at the Riverside on April 12th. Alan Pardew, who went to a promotion play-off with Preston at the Millennium Stadium a year ago while fighting to keep his job, could yet lead West Ham back to pursue glory there in the FA Cup final.

The sense of freshness cannot be so pronounced for Mourinho or Benitez. In the nine bouts between them Chelsea have recorded four victories in the Premiership and another in the 2005 League Cup final. The remaining encounters in the Champions League have brought three draws and a single defeat for Mourinho. Statistics, however, cannot convey the acuteness of the rivalry. Liverpool have twice wrecked Chelsea's hopes of grasping the most prestigious prize of all, the Champions League.

Benitez's side took the trophy for themselves last year after beating Mourinho's team in the second leg of the semi-final. This season Liverpool denied Chelsea a win in either match at the group stage, consigning them to the runners-up position that incurred a fatal meeting with Barcelona. "It's not easy to play at 100 per cent every week when you're top of the table all the time," said Benitez.

Chelsea v Liverpool

(Old Trafford, April 22nd)

Charlton/Middlesbrough v West Ham

(Villa Park, April 23rd)