Fulham manager Marco Silva says Fulham have ‘big ambitions’ in this season’s Emirates FA Cup.
Sunday’s Fifth Round clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford represents an opportunity for Fulham to reach the Quarter-Finals of the competition for the second time in three seasons.
While Fulham are enjoying an impressive campaign in the Premier League, Silva is also targeting a cup run – an ambition which he says is matched by the squad.
“We really like the competition,” said Silva in his pre-match press conference.
“It doesn’t matter against who, we have been able to be really serious with the competition.
When we played against Watford and then the second game against Wigan, the players were really serious in their approach because we respect and love the competition.
“Of course, when you play against Manchester United, the noise is going to be different around the game, but this is the only difference, believe me. Our ambition in this competition is really big and we want to compete to be in the next round.
“It’s good when I feel, as a manager, that this ambition in the FA Cup can through all the squad.
“We have to go game by game and step by step. We are really far from the last game in this competition. What we want is to focus on one game, which can be decided in 90 minutes, 120 or even by a penalty shootout. We have to be ready for everything the game can demand from ourselves.
“I have to be honest and not naive, but we are not the favourites in the competition at all. But we want to look at the competition as an opportunity to do something special.”
Both of this season’s meetings against United have ended in 1-0 defeats, both perhaps undeserved, with Lisandro Martinez’s cruelly deflected strike seeing Ruben Amorim’s side walk away from Craven Cottage with all three points in our most recent encounter last month.
Lady Luck may not have been on Fulham’s side in these clashes, but Silva doesn’t want to keep talking about hard luck stories, and says his side can see their fortunes change through hard work.
“For you to have fortune, you have to work to achieve it," he said. "It is clear in football, nothing comes easy for you.
We have been competing really well [against United] and they’re always tight games, not just this season but last season was the same.
Most of the time there have been late goals as well, which have made them emotional games. I don’t believe Sunday will be any different, but we need to work to change that fortune.
“That deflection that goes inside the goal [for Martinez’s goal in January], the chances we missed, we need to work to change that in our favour.
These are small details, small margins, but we have to work and keep focused to make sure that fortune comes in our favour and this is something that is in our mind.”
Silva confirmed that Emile Smith Rowe has returned to training this week, although a decision has not yet been made as to whether the midfielder will be named in the squad.
Silva said: “The same three players who have been out for a long period are still out – Kenny [Tete], Reiss Nelson and Harry Wilson
“Emile is back in training with the team. We have another session tomorrow and after that we will make the decision.”