Chelsea land another home draw

Chelsea have been handed a home clash with Tottenham in the FA Cup quarter-final draw.

Chelsea have been handed a home clash with Tottenham in the FA Cup quarter-final draw.

Jose Mourinho has yet to win the FA Cup during his reign at Stamford Bridge and his side will now face their toughest test yet in this season's competition having already eliminated Norwich, Nottingham Forest and Macclesfield.

West Brom's reward if they are able to complete an upset against Middlesbrough could be a home tie against Manchester United, providing the Premiership leaders overcome Reading in their own fifth-round replay.

Plymouth have been handed a home tie with Premiership strugglers Watford.

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The Coca-Cola Championship outfit will fancy their chances of reaching the semi-finals for the first time in 23 years against the club that denied them a trip to Wembley in 1984.

The final tie sees the winners of the fifth-round replay between Arsenal and Blackburn Rovers host Manchester City.

City boss Stuart Pearce revealed today's draw had already started to focus his mind on a Wembley final.

"The quarter-final stage is where your focus shifts a little bit towards the final. We'll have people at the replay game and it'll give us a chance to look at them", he told his club's official website.

"From our point of view, we're disappointed that we're away from home, we'd have preferred a home tie. But the Cup throws up these things and you've just got to hope that you go in with a full squad of fit players."

Reading owner John Madejski insists his side are purely focussed on beating United for now.

"We've just got the small business of dispensing with Manchester United before getting excited about Middlesbrough or West Brom but whatever is in front of us we will take on," he said. "I'm delighted they (United) are coming back to Reading. That is what the FA Cup is all about."

The Royals drew 1-1 with the Premiership leaders in Old Trafford at the weekend. "It's a second bite of the cherry and it's great. We're all exceedingly excited and looking forward to the game.

"We would be up for it with either of those teams (in the quarter-final) but first we've got the Herculean task of dealing with Manchester United."

Rovers chairman John Williams has called on his players to keep putting in the hard work when Arsenal visit Ewood Park the end of the month and help give manager Mark Hughes a fifth victory in the competition.

Hughes won the cup four times as a player and Williams is keen to help him add another medal to his collection.

"Obviously we've got a difficult replay but we've earned it and it is nice to be at home," he said. "Mark's not got a bad record (in the competition) so let's hope we can give him a win as a manager."

Sixth Round

Middlesbrough/WBA v Man Utd/Reading

Arsenal/Blackburn v Man City

Chelsea v Tottenham

Plymouth v Watford

(ties to be played weekend of March 10th/11th)